Final Chapter: Leo's Finest Hour

Update:
Leo – Status: Alone
Sakura – Status: Unknown

Niles – Status: Providing moral support during commercial breaks
Elise – Status: Back home
Hinata – Status: Salvaging his band
Young Dwyer – Status: Young
Selkie – Status: If you don't know by now...
Corrin – Status: Providing moral support when Niles slacks off
Oboro – Status: Trying to find her place in life
Camilla - Status: Relocated
Shura - Status: Finally slapped an album together
Velouria - Status: Look, I'm sure she's a nice gal, but what's her stake in this?
Luna - Status: Making a comeback
Scarlet - Status: Business tycoon

Odin Dark – Status: Pocket change
Benny Lee - Status: Making it rain (coins)
Subaki - Status: The cleaning lady's tip
Hana - Status: Spent on Sakura's porch repairs
Saizo & Kaze - Status: Over 10,000 coins combined
Izana - Status: Final Boss

Month: August (Early)

Leo lied in the center of a barren field. "Alone… I'm going to die alone…"

Purple flames lit all around the young man, and a man's voice giggled. "Heeheehehe! Then just get it over with!"

The flames encroached, threatening to consume Leo, until he felt a weird shaking.

"Wake up already!" Niles told him.

Leo found himself on his girlfriend's couch. "Ugh… Niles?"

"Yep."

"How'd you get in?"

"You left the door unlocked. Hey you wanna see a movie with me and Other Leo?"

"What movie?"

Niles shrugged. "Eh, we don't really know."

"I'll pass."

"Aw c'mon, guy. You can't just go to work and go home for the rest of your life."

"I went to the grocery store…"

"Dude. You sound pathetic." He shook his head and went to the kitchen. "While I'm here though, I'm gonna make some bacon."

"Okay…"

Leo and Hinata sat together on the couch. "So can you actually believe our old college band is getting back together?! Well, minus you, but still!"

"I guess that's pretty cool…"

Hinata rubbed his own neck. "Yeah… I guess the Troopas are over. But we had fun, right?"

"I guess."

"Man, River City Ransom and the Rockin' Troopas falling apart and then mixing into one, big super band! It'll be great! Uh, we still gotta think of a name though."

"Mm."

"We're gonna play at Fancy Soup. You should come!" Hinata offered.

Leo looked over. "That place isn't fancy and they don't serve soup. They serve eggplants!"

"That's the point!"

"…That's so stupid."

And yet he came.

Leo sat at a table in the restaurant with Oboro sitting beside him. She smirked. "Well look who came out of the house."

"Are you just going to mock me the whole time?"

"Don't flatter yourself. I came to hear the band."

"Mm."

"Say, you know that Tochika guy? Turns out he's setting up a second Duke's Palace here in Windmire," Oboro said. "Wasn't your last girlfriend dating him once?"

"Yeah, so?"

She shrugged. "I don't know! I just thought it might be useful information! Stop being like that! Whatever…" Oboro got up and left, allowing Selkie to sit where she was.

"Hi Leo!"

"Do people just tag in and out to talk to me anymore?" Leo asked. He shook his head. "Whatever. Hi Selkie."

"Leo, I've been busy most of this last month, but I heard about what happened," said Selkie. "I feel a little responsible for it."

Leo shrugged. "Meh. I think I sort of had it coming."

"Still… Hey, later this month, I'm moving."

"Huh?" He turned to face her. "What's going on?"

"I got accepted to U of C!"

"University of Cyrkensia?" Leo checked. Selkie nodded vigorously. "Huh. Well how about that?"

"So after this month… I won't be around here anymore. I'm really going to miss all of you. But I think I learned from this!"

Leo sighed. "Well, at least one of us made it out all right…"

Selkie frowned. "Hey… it'll work out, Leo. In some way or another, at least! I moved on, and you can too!" Her frown changed to a wince. "You were kind of a horrible boyfriend to me. But I can still think of you as a friend! Yeah, I'm just gonna enjoy being single for now."

"What happened to Young Dwyer?"

"Eh… It didn't really work out. We split after the whole River City Ransom thing. I was just trying to get you jealous."

Leo rasied his eyebrow. "You do know that Luna and Beruka are part of Hinata's new band, right? With Young Dwyer?"

":O"

After the band performed, Leo remained alone at the same table, and a certain someone decided to sit across from him. "Been a while, Leo."

"Luna…"

The red-haired woman smirked. "It's funny, Jake's kid is a better bassist than you are."

"Well there you go."

"So, you still living with Niles?"

"No, I moved out in June. Then I moved in with… my girlfriend."

Luna winced. "Oh… Yeah… Hinata told me about that. Uh, sorry… I guess."

Leo raised his eyebrow. "You're apologizing?"

"I'm allowed!" Luna crossed her arms. "I don't know why you think I'm just always out to get you!"

Leo squinted. "Didn't you have my band open for yours so that your old boyfriend could beat me up?"

"Ugh… Yeah, okay. That was my bad. I made a lot of mistakes. But so did you!"

Leo's head began to hurt again. "I… I may or may not have."

Luna gave Leo a look. Not of her usual disgust, but this time… pity. "That's your problem, Leo. You always try to block out all your mistakes. Do you even remember how we broke up?"

"I… wore my shirt wrong."

"Ugh! No, it wasn't your shirt! I mean... I made a comment on it, but then you totally flipped out on me!"

"I did?"

She nodded. "Yeah. It hurt. I mean, you were a little drunk, but… I don't know, it just felt… It hit too close to home." She winced, and it was clear that this was not a pleasant memory. "So I… I did the same to you. And that was it."

"Hmm…"

Walh-Art – Windmire's Museum of Historical Art

Niles smirked. "These statues are naked. But somehow I'm not allowed to be."

"Don't be weird, Niles," Leo said.

"Hey, I'm just glad you agreed to come along for once!"

"I didn't know you even liked art. Are we really just here for the statues?"

"Of course not. There's a good café, but the lines are long, so we're looking around in the meantime."

"Mm." Leo decided to change the subject. "Hey. I ran into Luna the other day. She's starting a new band with Hinata."

"Yuck. I wonder if she's in cahoots with Izana."

"Izana?"

"Yeah. He's in town right now, didn't you know? The new Duke's Palace?" Niles asked. "He's even dating Luna right now! Huh, that makes two Evil Exes to go out with Luna. She sure knows how to pick 'em…" Niles looked over and saw Leo glaring at a portrait on the wall. It was a yeti eviscerating a pair of Hoshidan dragons. "You like that painting?"

"This painting is what Izana's doing to me."

"…I think you need a break."

Windmire Bus Common

"Niles, let go of me!"

The man himself struggled to shove Leo onto the bus. "You're going on this nature sabbatical and you're going to like it, Leo. Trust me! Have I ever steered you wrong?"

"Y-"

"Don't answer that." Niles grinned. "Besides, you'll be able to clear your head and get ready for that big fight with Izana!"

"Niles, I don't want to fight him," Leo replied. "It's over. There's no reason to, now that Sa-"

"Bye! Call me when you're back in town!" He pushed Leo onto the bus and waved as it left.

Macarath Outskirts – Xander's House

Contrary to Leo's expectations, Xander lived in a suburban home. It was like something out of an old television show. Single-story, garage, porch, a nice car in the driveway, picket fence. Leo always knew his brother was old-fashioned, but this was ridiculous.

Leo stared at the cereal on the table before him, while Elise sat beside him. Across from the two of them sat their elder brother, a tall man with black (black-purple?) eyes in a business suit.

Name: Xander
Status: New CEO

"So Leo, I heard you found a job," Xander said.

"Yeah…"

"Good for you. I knew you'd find your way."

Elise smirked. "He just cooks for the university he used to go to."

"…Yep."

"Well, it's still honest work, that's nothing to be ashamed of."

Leo said nothing, so it fell to Elise to save this conversation. "Leo, did you hear about me? I got a job at the ice cream place! And I know what you're thinking, 'Oh that Elise, she's gonna eat all the ice cream!' But nope, I am a mature 20-year-old woman, and I can serve ice cream just fine!" She gave Leo a big smile, but he only shrugged. "…Leo, do you want to go on a walk?"

"Eh."

Macarath Woods
Random Encounters: Flytrap Demon, Brigand, Boko Baba, Entombed (rare)

Leo kept his hands in his pockets and slouched the whole time, while Elise challenged herself to balance on every log they came across. "Leo, what's wrong with you?"

"What do you think?"

Elise sighed. "Not that. I mean… what's wrong with you?"

The brother squinted. "You're repeating yourself, Elise."

"Leo-"

"Look, I'm the big brother here. Are you okay? You keep staying with our siblings, you got kidnapped by that ninja, you had to move here-"

"Leo, I'm just worried-"

"Great! My little sister is worried for me! Way to go, Leo, you can't even hold yourself together in front of Elise!" Leo kicked a pebble, and Elise observed the purple flames around his head. "I can't stop screwing up!"

"Leo, you did screw up, but I know you meant well!"

"What?"

Elise flinched. "Oh geez… Do you remember when you 'saved' me from that bully?"

…

Leo sat at a lunch table alone, when another kid walked up to him. "You think you're hot stuff just 'cause you're Lex's little brother, don't you?!"

"What about it?"

"Wake up, man! Everyone's tired of you being such a snob! You're not better than the rest of us!"

"Are you done?"

"Are you done being a butthead?!"

Leo stood up. "I'll stop when you stop! Rrgh!" He immediately punched the other student in the face, knocking him down. "So you think I'm not good enough?! That I can't do anything on my own?!"

…

"That wasn't a bully, Leo! I mean… yeah, he was a huge jerk, but… you were kind of a jerk back then, too." Elise held her hands behind her back. "I don't know why you told yourself you saved me from him, but you did. And… you believed it." She sat down on a nearby log. "Not right away, either. That's the weird part. You were always so grouchy, Leo. And jealous of Xander. It wasn't until after Luna that you started making up things about your life."

"…Forget it."

"Huh?"

Leo glared at her. "I said to forget it!" He ran past Elise and into a thicket. "And don't think I don't see you there!"

"Leo?!" Elise stood up and followed Leo. What she found was a startling sight- Leo was pinned to the ground by an alternate version of himself. "L-Leo, what is this?!"

NEGA LEO

The Nega Leo was bathed in purple flames, and his crimson eyes bore into Leo's soul. "Grrr! Just leave me alone already! I… I'll destroy you! Then I can move on!" Leo cried.

"Is this… Leo, you know what this guy is?"

Leo struggled to free himself from his doppelganger. "Nothing I can't deal with! I can at least do that! Rrrgh!"

"Is he, like, your repressed emotions or something like that?!"

"I don't know and I don't care!"

"Leo!" Elise's stare hardened. "You can't just hide from yourself like that! If you keep forgetting every mistake you've made, you'll just make them over and over again!"

"I don't… want…. to remember!"

Then she got mad. "And I do?! You think everyone else is happy with all their mistakes?! That's why they're mistakes!"

"I've never been worth anything!" Leo called to her. "I've just been the throwaway brother! I didn't do anything! But I wanted to be something, so I acted like it! But that just made everyone hate me!" Nega Leo tightened his grip on Leo's wrists. "Ah! Then you and Scarlet roped me into that band… I wanted to think I was a musician, because at least I'd have some kind of talent… and I met Hinata and Selena… But Selena took control of everything… and I got fed up with it!"

Nega Leo curiously raised an eyebrow.

"The band was the one thing that made me worth anything! I didn't even like it, but it was mine and she took it from me! So I lashed out at her, and then she told me exactly what I already knew about myself!"

Elise said nothing.

"So I… I just got fed up with it. I looked up a spell to make myself forget everything... or alter my memories, or something! And I guess it worked."

The sister gasped. "Leo… that… You and everyone always teased me about not growing up, Leo. But… why haven't you grown up?"

It was Leo's turn to be rendered silent. He looked up at his attacker, and the Nega Leo seemed to have the same expression now, of finally reaching his lowest point. The vulnerable man took a deep breath, forcing his doppelganger to disappear.

"…You're right. I said I was going to stop running... But I guess that includes myself, too... I'm sorry, Elise."

Elise smiled and went to help Leo stand up. He took her extended arm, and hugged her as soon as he made it up. She returned the favor. "It's okay, Leo. Now you know."

They split apart, and Leo rolled his shoulder. "Well, I feel better about my memories, at least. But… now what?"

Xander walked out of the bushes. "Now you go home and finish this."

"AAAH! Xander, what gives?!" Leo and Elise screamed at once.

"Uh… sorry," Xander said sheepishly. "Elise forgot her keys, so… I came to give them back… and didn't want to interrupt… Ahem, but you've done well, Leo. And I'm sorry if I made you feel lesser."

The younger brother nodded. "Thanks, Xander. And don't feel sorry." He and Elise shared a smile. "I was kind of a jerk."

Leo returns to Windmire for his finest hour!

Leo threw the front door open in time to see-

"Turn off the light!"

"AAAH!"

…

Leo sat on the couch with Niles and Other Leo, with the cushions removed. "Really, guys?"

"We didn't know you'd be back so soon," Other Leo told him.

"And you didn't just go to your place because…"

"Hey, someone had to hold down the fort!" Niles joked.

"Whatever. Listen, is Duke's Palace open yet?"

"Probably, why-" Other Leo's question as cut off with a phone ring. Riiiiiiiiiing!

"Hm?" Leo picked up. "Who is this?"

"Hey pal! It's me, Izana Tochika!"

Leo tensed up. He put the phone on speaker for Niles and Other Leo. "Izana? What do you want?"

Other Leo's eyes bulged, and Niles just grinned.

"I just wanted to say, I feel terrible about the whole 'Guild of Exes' thing."

"The League?"

"Yeah whatever. But yeah, I was in a dark place when I put up that drunken Craigslist ad, I didn't think it'd actually work! But I figure now, I don't want any hard feelings. Why not be the bigger man and call a truce, y'know? C'mon, you can even come to my club tonight! It's opening night and the acoustics are AMAZING! Hey, remember Luna? Well we're totally together now, and her band's playing! I think you know them."

"AAARGH!"

"Whoa, buddy! Take it easy!"

Leo winced, running a towel over his pants. Other Leo looked ashamed. "No, my stupid friend just spilled hot chocolate on my pants."

"Sorry."

"Oh. Well yeah! C'mon, my club is awesome! And hey maybe you can learn a thing or two about music while you're there! Okay laters!"

Izana hung up, and Niles narrowed his eye. "Wow. What a jerk." He nodded. "Finish him."

…

Leo changed into a clean pair of pants. +100 pts!

Then he did a few dozen push-ups. +200 pts!

Then he equipped the Power of Love sword. +300 pts!

Then he calmly tied his shoes.

Leo kicked the front door open. +400 pts!

All set to go, Leo, Niles and Other Leo hopped into Niles' car to find Duke's Palace.

Final Level: Duke's Palace (Windmire)

Leo marched up to the door, with Niles and Other Leo following. A slacker held his hand out. "Wait. You gotta say the password."

"I was invited here!" Leo countered.

"Oh."

The three took the elevator down and found themselves in the center of a massive party. It was all a big dance floor with lights and sounds of all sorts. Food, cage dancers, arcade machines, Duke's Palace spared no expense. Niles and Other Leo got distracted and left, but Leo was okay. He had a mission, and headed for the black, flat-topped pyramid in the center of the chamber.

"Leo?" The young man found Shura sitting at a table. "What're you doing here?"

"Uh… I have to fight Izana. What are you doing here?"

"I'm here for Hinata's new band."

"Okay then." He kept going forward and ran into Oboro and Corrin.

"Leo?"

"What do you want?" Oboro asked. Corrin turned to her.

"Don't be rude!" She shook her head. "Leo, are you back from your… nature sabbatical or whatever Niles called it?"

"Yeah. I am. I have to go now."

"Did Xander and Elise have anything to say to me? Leo? Hello?"

Leo's march to the pyramid was once again halted, this time by Selkie. "Hi Leo!"

"Hi," her friend Velouria added.

"Huh? Oh. Hi Selkie. Hi… you."

"Velouria," the Wolfskin told him. "We've met only once."

"Okay. Gotta go."

Finally, Leo made it to the pyramid, and only then noticed Hinata, Young Dwyer, Luna and Beruka performing on a stage next to it. Hinata looked up. "Whoa! Leo, you made it! Dude, I know you're upset, but you can't let Izana have the satisfaction!"

"Well maybe I want the satisfaction," Leo told him.

"HE-HEY! LEO'S HERE!" a voice called. Leo and the band all looked up and saw the man himself, sitting atop the pyramid in his white suit.

Name: Izana Tochika
Status: Jerk

Niles called over from a random table. "HEY LEO! THAT'S PROBABLY HIM!"

Izana walked down the stairs, arms extended and holding a cane. "Glad you could make it buddy! You wanna drink? I think tomato juice is one of our options!"

Leo glared and went up to meet Izana. "I don't want your drinks, Izana."

"What's the matter? I don't have a beef with you anymore."

"Well I do!"

BOSS: IZANA TOCHIKA

Leo drew the Power of Love sword and the band started playing. Izana's cane became a sword and the fighters met each other. The two weapons locked and everyone in the club gathered to watch the fight. "Aw c'mon, you don't even like my palace?"

"Where is she?!" Leo demanded.

"Who, Luna? She's onstage, goof!" Izana's smile turned sinister as he backed off. Leo lost his balance, leaving him open to a spin attack. "HA!"

"Gah!" Leo stepped back and rolled his shoulder. "You know who I'm talking about! She disappeared and left behind that letter to you!" Leo let go of the sword with one hand to summon brambles to attack Izana. The club owner sliced them all in half before they could reach him. "Did you do that?!"

Izana blinked. "Wait… She left you?"

"Of course she did!"

"…Heh! He-heh! Hahahahahaha! Oh! Oh this is rich!" Izana dropped his weapon and clutched his stomach. "Oh man! Oh gods! I know I tried to lure you here under false pretenses, but I thought she'd at least be with you! But you screwed it up somehow! Wow, some competition you are." He shook his head, followed with a shrug. "You beat six of her exes, and she leaves you. But I guess in most cases, that's normal."

"We've both made our mistakes," Leo said. "And you're one of them!"

Izana chuckled. "Maybe. And one of yours was to show up here. HA!" He thrust his arms out and threw a purple fireball at Leo. The younger man winced and blocked with his sword, but it was too much for him! The Power of Love shattered in Leo's own hands, and the fireball knocked him to the floor. "Sucker!"

"Aaah… I just wanted to get this over with," Leo moaned. "She's not even here anymore, what's the point?"

"Ooh." Izana excitedly walked over to his prey. "So… She left you and you're feeling pretty upset, huh?"

"What do you think?"

Izana extended his hand. "In that case, why don't I let you in on the league? C'mon!"

"Screw you!"

"Harsh." Izana then shrugged. "Welp. Guess you screwed up." His extended hand turned into an open palm…

"AAAAAAAH!"

…as he incinerated Leo point-blank with his purple flames.

Hinata and Luna gaped in horror, as Young Dwyer's jaw dropped. Selkie gasped, and Velouria covered her eyes. Corrin shuddered and Oboro covered her mouth. Shura winced. Niles glared under his sunglasses, and Other Leo shook his head. And though she was not present, even Elise felt a shock.

"Heheheh…" Izana ominously walked all around Leo's corpse. "Good game."

GAME OVER

.

.

.

.

.

Leo lied on the ground in a blank void. "Alone… I died alone. I always knew it."

Then, Leo saw something in front of him. A white dress. Curiously, he sat up and saw the face of-

"Sakura…"

There she was, in a white dress and jacket. Leo almost mistook her for the background. The only colors were her hair, skin and the purse. "H-hi Leo… I heard what happened to you." She sat down next to him. "I'm sure dying isn't very pleasant…"

Leo shook his head. "Nope. Least of all to that guy."

They sat together in silence for a long time. Eventually, Sakura faced him. "Leo… I'm sorry I left. But… I thought staying might've made things worse."

"Well… you did come back though, at least. You came to see me off one last time."

Sakura sighed. "I didn't come back for you. I came back for myself. To live with my mistakes. I… I'm sorry if that sounds inconsiderate."

"No, no… In fact, you're preaching to the choir on that one."

"Hmhmhm." Even now, Sakura's laugh calmed Leo. "I've always been the one to leave others behind. But not anymore. So that's why I forced myself to come back to apologize-"

Sakura could not finish her sentence. Leo had turned and grabbed Sakura's shoulders, and they kissed. Sakura closed her eyes, but soon pulled away. "Ah! L-Leo! I was trying to say-"

Leo interrupted her with another kiss. Like the first, she let it go on for a bit before stopping. "Okay, Leo!"

"Look, I forgive you already Sakura! I'm coming to terms with my past too! It's all water under the bridge now!" He sighed. "I just wish it were enough to accept my mistakes."

"Well, Leo… We have to try to fix things afterward," she told him. "What's the point of knowing your mistakes if you don't improve from them?"

"…Huh. I think I learned something. ...Too bad I'm dead."

Then the 1-Up of Leo's face reappeared, to both their surprise. "Ohhh! Your extra life!"

"Oh yeah! I picked one up a while back!" He looked over at Sakura. "If… if I go back, will you be there?"

Sakura nodded. "I told you I'm done running, Leo… I'll be there."

"Right. See you then."

.

.

.

.

.

Leo threw the front door open in time to see-

"Turn off the light!"

"AAAH!" Leo obliged, and shuddered. "I can't believe it reset me there of all places. Didn't need to see that again today."

"…Again today?" Niles asked.

Niles and Other Leo watched from Sakura's couch, while Leo paced in front of them. He was on the phone. "Yeah? Connect me to Duke's Palace. Tell Izana that Leo's calling."

"…Huh? Hey Leo! I was just about to cal-"

"Yeah whatever. Listen, I don't want hard feelings, so why not be the bigger man and call a truce, you know? How about I show up at your club tonight? It's opening, if I recall and I bet the acoustics are amazing. You're having Luna perform, right?" Leo grinned deviously.

"Uhh… yeah?"

"Good. And maybe I can teach you thing or two about music while I'm there. And by 'teach you a thing about music' I meant I'm going to kill you!" Leo hung up.

Niles jumped up. "YEAH! That's what I'm talking about! I'll start the car!"

Final Level: Duke's Palace (Windmire) – Round 2

Leo marched up to the entrance, leading Niles and Other Leo behind him. Someone stopped him. "Password?"

"Shut up." +200 pts!

They went inside and down the elevator. Niles and Other Leo got distracted again, but Leo knew what he was doing.

"Leo?" Shura asked.

"Hey Shura. Enjoy Hinata's performance." +300 pts!

He passed Oboro and Corrin. "Huh?"

"Leo?"

"Hi Oboro and Corrin. I'm feeling good. Xander and Elise say hi." +400 pts!

Then Selkie and Velouria. "Hi Leo!"

"Hi."

"Hi Selkie, hi Velouria." +500 pts! "Selkie, let me just take a moment to say that I really was unfair to you and you deserved better. Good luck in college." +600 pts!

Finally, the stage. Hinata looked up. "Whoa! Leo, you made it! Dude, I know you're upset-"

"I know what I'm doing. Hinata, you guys sound better without me, keep up the good work." +700pts! "Young Dwyer, you've learned well. From this moment on, you'll be known as… Dwyer." +800pts!

He gasped.

Name: Dwyer
Status: Having the best day of his life

"And Luna," Leo stopped. "I'm sorry about everything. I was angry, but I went too far, and you were completely right about me." +900pts!

Luna's eyes went wide. "H-huh? Oh… Th-thanks…"

"HE-HEY, LEO'S HERE!" Izana called. Leo knowingly glanced at him. The club owner began descending the pyramid. "Glad you could-"

"Shut up." Leo went to meet him. "Your club sucks. You're a tool. And I have beef. Let's fight!" +1000pts!

"What for?" Izana asked. "…For Sakura?"

"No. For me!"

A blue version of the Power of Love then emerged from Leo's chest.

LEO EARNED THE POWER OF SELF RESPECT!
Guts +18
Heart +20
Smarts +13
Will +22

FINAL BOSS: IZANA TOCHIKA

The band played and everyone gathered to see Leo go straight for Izana. The club owner unsheathed his cane to reveal a sword of his own, but instead of locking blades, the Power of Self Respect cut Izana's weapon in half, and wounded Izana. "Aaah!"

"Dead on!"

GET READY!

Time slowed to crawl and Leo swung his blade repeatedly, cutting Izana well over forty times. When he finished, he kicked Izana in the gut, knocking him a few meters back. The Evil Ex struggled to lift his head.

"Aaah! You… jerk!" Izana fell limp.

+7000 pts!

Everyone cheered. Izana opened his normally squinty eyes and got back up, arms coated in purple flames. He prepared to attack Leo, but was shot in the back with an wind arrow. "Gaaah!"

Leo and Izana both turned around and found Sakura aiming Fujin Yumi. Izana scowled. "You…"

"…Me."

"Well then. Let's wrap it up!" Izana clapped his hands and his pyramid's flat top opened. A strange machine ascended, revealing seven cryonic tubes. All but one were occupied by women of different types.

Izana's own "evil" exes!

"What… is that?" Corrin asked more to herself than Oboro.

Dwyer blinked. "…Guys, don't judge me, but this is kinda hot."

Hinata and Luna looked at him.

Judgement Level: Maximum

"Hahahahahaha!" Izana held his hands out, marveling at his machine. "These are the women who don't know a good man when they see one! They thought they could just walk away from me! I'm descended from the gods, what more do they want?!" He shrugged. "So I froze them indefinitely. Ah… Now that the mood is ruined, guess I'll ruin it further!" Izana planted both hands on the ground and every person in the crowd began glowing with purple flames, all except for Leo and Sakura. "Oh what?! Come on already!"

"I don't think so! My head's too clear for that!"

"And so is mine!"

"Never mind…" Izana recalled the flames and began storing them into a ball.

"Why do you even care, Izana?!" Sakura cried. "When we were together, you barely spoke to me!"

"Because I'm Izana Tochika, and I don't answer to anybody!" He threw the fireball at Sakura. She tried to jump out of the way, but she was too slow and got hit.

"Aaaaah!"

"Sakura!"

Everyone in the crowd gasped. Niles shook his head. "What a jerk."

Jerk Level: Maximum

Leo ran over to Sakura's side and helped her get back up, to Izana's amusement.

"Hey, she's been ripping off my invention for years, she had it coming!" Leo stared at him. "You know, the purple fires?" The younger man's eyebrow quirked. "Okay, it's like this: in my youth, I explored the Bottomless Canyon, that one between here and Hoshido? I found these ancient ruins floating in the sky or something. And there were these crazy purple monsters there!"

"…Okay…"

"So I harnessed their power and put my own spin on it! Emotional warfare, baby!" He clapped his hands. "Oh yeah! It also lets me hop between dimensions! Sakura's been using that trick for a while before I met her. So I taught her a few things and boom-bam! Dunno how she harnessed it herself. I guess she just hated herself enough that she was able to use the fires to her advantage."

Sakura finally stood up, and nodded. Leo let her go. "Sh-shut up Izana… Our whole relationship… was some kind of joke for you, huh? J-just to play with your invention!"

Dwyer looked over at Hinata. "Wait, how much older than Sakura is this guy?"

"Uh… Shoot."

Sakura clutched her head. "This… this sucks, Leo." He raised his eyebrow at the strong (for Sakura) language. "He's been in my head since I met him…"

"He does leave a strong impression."

"I mean literally."

Leo blinked. "…Oh gods!" He snatched Sakura's purse and began to search through it. "C'mon… c'mon… Ah!" He pulled out the crystal ball. "There we go!"

"Leo?"

Leo held the crystal to his heart and vanished.

From the Astral Plane's fortress, Leo looked around. "Uh… where do I go? I thought I could get into Sakura's head like she got into mine!"

"Hey buddy, looking for me?!"

Leo turned around and found a taller, more muscular Izana carrying his own Power of Love. "Hahahaha! I thought I'd save you the trouble. Look, Sakura's here too!" Izana reached into his pocket and pulled out a pink, crystalline heart. "And her heart belongs to me! Literally!"

"That's it!"

"What, you're gonna fight me? Dude, I'm descended from gods and I'm on the Astral Plane! If that's too much for your tragically Nohrian brain, then I just don't know what to-"

"Would you just shut up?!" Leo ran at Izana with the Power of Self Respect ready. The Evil Ex grew taller and more monstrous as Leo approached, but the man did not back down. "I will erase you!"

He leapt into the air cut Izana down the center in one motion.

POOF!

Izana returned to his normal form, and clutched his head in pain. He dropped the heart and in a flash of light, Sakura appeared in its place.

"Ugh… Sakura? Babe?"

"Don't call me that!" The white-clad woman faced the ground, where a small fragment of the crystal heart remained. "Maybe a part of me, a part deep down, will still be yours." She then gave Izana the fiercest glare she had ever given.

"But all the other parts of me are done with you! I'm going to live, Izana! And my new life doesn't include you!"

A blue sword appeared in Sakura's hands.

SAKURA EARNED THE POWER OF SELF RESPECT (too)!

She swung the blade and cut the phantom Izana in half. "NOOOO!"

FLASH!

Back in the club, Leo and Sakura stood in their original positions, and Izana glared at them. "Sakura, come on! It took me three hours to figure out how to use the flames to amplify people's self-doubt! Three hours! You just don't realize how cool I am!" He stared at all the angry spectators. "Apparently nobody does! But who cares! I'll make everyone see what I'm worth, whether they like it or not!"

With a gasp, Leo stared at Izana in horror.

"What?! What's your problem?!"

Leo shook his head. "Izana, I think I understand you… Which is why I have to kill you."

"Tch. Wrong move, baby."

Izana struck a pose and conjured a digital katana in his own hands.

IZANA EARNED THE POWER OF BEING A COMPLETE PIECE OF TRASH!
Hair +49
Style +49
Cockiness +49
Divinity +49

Leo and Izana began their final battle. Izana cockily used only one hand, smirking the whole time. Leo swung to his left, and Izana blocked. Leo went for the right, and Izana turned away from Leo and held his sword over his back to block Leo's sword. "Heh."

Izana spun around with a horizontal slice, but Leo quickly dodged underneath to avoid it. When the blade passed, Leo stood back up and swung again, but Izana managed to block this one too. "Hahahahaha- AH!"

2-PLAYER MODE!

Izana turned around to find that Sakura had done the deed. "You… you made me swallow my gum! It'll be in my digestive tract for seven years!" He flipped the sword reverse and smacked her with the hilt. -200 pts!

"Oof!"

Then kicked her in the gut, knocking her down! -300pts!

"Aaaaah!"

"Why you….!" Enraged, Leo took his chance to hit Izana in the back.

"Aaaaaaaah!"

Sakura stood back up hit Izana with an uppercut slash. "Hya!"

"Ohhhhh!"

Leo and Sakura nodded to each other and hit Izana with a special attack: they both charged at Izana from opposite angles and cut through him in an X pattern.

Double Tech: X Strike

With the attack finished, Izana's weapon flickered out of existence. "Cocky little freaks! I'm cooler than all of you! I'm divine! What's your excuse?!" The Powers of Self Respect transformed into blue flames coating Leo and Sakura's hands. They turned back, scowling.

"What?!"

GET READY!

"Oh no."

HERE WE GO!

Leo and Sakura ran back over to Izana and took turns punching him in rhythm. Leo rolled along the ground to Izana's other side in order to trap him. Sakura threw a punch. +700 pts! Leo threw one. +800 pts! Sakura kicked him. +900 pts! Leo used the Shoryuken. +1000 pts! GOOD!

Leo and Sakura strafed around Izana, hitting him in their continued rhythm. GOOD! GOOD! GREAT! COMBO UNLOCKED!

Leo grabbed Izana by the waist and flipped him over, throwing him to the ground, and allowing Sakura to kick his head hard enough to turn it.

"Gaaaw!"

PERFECT!

"Ughhh…." Izana slowly got onto his knees. "You think… you're better than me…! But… your worst enemies… are really yourselves!"

Leo and Sakura stared at him. The pink-haired woman shook her head. "No… No, it's you."

"I concur."

"…Nuts."

Winding up his fist, Leo threw one final punch, slamming Izana's head onto the floor and creating a giant explosion of coins.

KO!

+7, 000, 000, 000 pts!

LEO and SAKURA win!

Everyone cheered at the massive rain of coins… until they realized that several coins falling from a high space was very painful. Hinata looked over to Luna. "Hey, weren't you and Izana kind of a thing?"

"He was a jerk anyway. I'm over it," Luna said.

"Oh. Gum." Dwyer leaned down and picked up an errant piece of gum. "Waste not, and all that." He put it in his mouth.

"Dude! Dwyer, that was in Izana's mouth!" Hinata warned him.

"It's too late for me, Hinata."

In the audience, Shura blinked. "Uh… should someone get those frozen chicks out of that machine?"

Some amount of time later, the girls were all freed from Izana's device, and oddly nonchalant about the whole thing. Elsewhere, everyone gathered around Leo and Sakura at one of the tables.

"Sakura, that was crazy!" Oboro told her. "I mean… you were there, but… you know…"

Niles smirked. "Congrats, kids. Ya did it! You sorted through your emotional crap!"

Corrin put a hand on Leo's shoulder. "I knew you guys could do it. But, uh… when you disappeared, then Sakura disappeared, what happened exactly?"

"Oh, that?" Leo rolled his eyes, trying to find an explanation. "Well… I went onto the Astral Plane to try and get into Sakura's head and stop whatever Izana was up to. But he just sort of met me halfway and we fought for a bit. Then Sakura got a sword like I did and we teleported back."

Sakura slowly nodded. "That's about right…"

"…Huh. Okay." Corrin shrugged, finally accepting that Leo had a weird life. "But Sakura, what about you? Where'd you disappear to?"

All eyes were on her. "Uh… You all want to know?" Everyone nodded, even Leo. Especially Leo. Sakura let out a sigh. "It… wasn't anywhere special or anything. I just… I went back home. I was going to talk to my big brothers and sister, and they suggested I go on some kind of nature walk or something."

Niles gave Leo a smug look under his shades.

"But… I just kind of moped. My sister had to force me to go outside." She blushed and gave everyone an awkward smile. "So… that was my August…"

"Hahahahaha! Oh man!" Niles took his sunglasses off to wipe a tear from his eye. "Sakura, Leo, you two are cut from the same cloth."

Corrin shook her head, smiling. "Two peas in a pod."

On the elevator ride back up, Leo and Sakura embraced each other. It had been a long night. They broke off, after a bit, but still held hands. "So, now what? Does everything go back to how it was?" Leo asked.

"I… I don't want it to," answered Sakura. She looked him in the eyes. "It… it's easy when things stay the same. But… they can't. Whenever my family would get comfortable in life, something would be taken away from us… our dad… our mom… Things kept changing all the time. So I guess I tried to force things to change, by constantly running away and doing different things." She winced. "That if I could make things change on my own, it somehow wouldn't hurt as much."

"Sakura, I… I never knew about…"

"My parents?" She collapsed into another hug. "It's not something I like to talk about… But we probably should've gotten to know each other a bit better, huh?"

"Yep…" Leo comfortingly ran his hand along her back. I finally realized my memories were fake. I kind of felt like Izana. I had a lot to prove to everyone. That's how I got into fights, learned to be the toughest guy in Windmire, and even how I got into music." He shrugged. "But, hey. Now we can try again."

"Starting over…"

"Yeah."

They smiled warmly, slowly bringing their lips closer, until they finally kissed.

AND SO…

Leo and Hinata walked through the parking lot outside the university. "Man, you owned it in the kitchen today!"

"Heh. Well the ingredients certainly helped."

Shura opened the door to his car and got out. "Hinata."

"Yo Shura!"

Then to Leo's surprise, they briefly kissed. "Uh, what?!"

Hinata looked over. "Wait, you didn't know?!"

"NO!"

"Oh…" Hinata blushed. "Yeah, I… kinda figured out I liked Shura. I thought I told you... Must've been while you were moping."

"Huh…" Leo put a finger to his chin. "Suddenly a few more things make sense. Well... good for you, man."

"Now can we just get some lousy pizza?" Shura asked.

...

Leo and Dwyer smirked as they carried boxes into Corrin's apartment. "I think this makes me the last of our siblings you haven't lived with yet, Elise."

"Oh be quiet!"

Dwyer raised his eyebrow. "What happened to the ice cream place?"

Elise smiled confidently. "They relocated me to the branch in Windmire! Now you'll see me every Saturday!"

"I guess I will."

…

Leo and Selkie stood together at the bus stop. "I'm going to miss you, Leo. But I've moved on."

"Good for you, Selkie. And I meant what I said before. Good luck in college."

She sniffled and wrapped her arms around Leo. "Th-thanks, Leo! I'll always remember our time together. You'll always be my River City Ransom!"

(whatever that means)

That evening, at Windmire Dusk Park, Leo ascended the stairs and met Sakura. "Hey."

"Hey," she returned.

"Are… are we ready to start over?"

Sakura nodded and gave a big grin.

"Yes."

Leo smiled back.

Hand in hand, Leo and Sakura walked down the path…

…and into their future.

.

.

.

.

.

[STORY MODE CLEAR!]

[THE END!]

Post-Script A/N:

And there we have it. Leo and Sakura have reunited and they (as well as their circle of friends) are entering a new time in their lives.

The Fancy Soup restaurant is a reference to SIGF, an author friend of mine. Her claim to fame is the Leo/Sakura fic, Portal. Eggplants are an inside joke. And we get to Leo's somewhat reconciliation with Luna. In the movie, Envy is an obstacle for Scott, and she's gone after Todd is beaten. But in the comics, she returns for the final volume, and tells Scott that he wasn't blameless in their breakup. They both really hurt each other. I prefer that interpretation, Envy comes across more human in that way. Aaand Xander finally makes his appearance! No Garon, but now of Leo's siblings have arrived in the story. It seems good that Xander is a character to be (slightly) built up, and then only appear once near the end.

Nega Leo... I wanted to play it up like the movie version of Nega Scott. But it wouldn't work with the scene. Leo finally develops and confronts his past- he was so torn up and frustrated with himself, that he used a spell to alter his memories. Is that like a replacement for drug usage? I wonder... And then the Duke's Palace fights. As for Gideon, it's Izana. I explained before, but Movie!Gideon has just a fun personality, and since he owns a club, I felt like Izana would be a good choice for the role.

I even make use of his backstory and some of the game's lore for his motivations. The final battle with Izana plays out more like the comic, though Leo's second trip through the palace and some of the choreography is based more on the movie. Though Sakura helps Leo fight instead of Knives. It just makes more sense. I also work in the deleted scene where Leo calls Gideon and just steals the words from his mouth. That was too good to miss. And Leo namedrops Water Under the Bridge by Lovelylori, because if she doesn't, I will.

Also, have you noticed that I have not used Sakura's name in this story for the entire time of her absence? (Minus her letter to Izana). I hoped that would make it feel more like she was really gone.

Not much to say about the whole ending sequence. It's basically the same as in the comic. I did give more backstory to Sakura, and tied more pieces of Leo's backstory together. I kind of like how it turned out, there.

And with that, I am done. I hope you enjoyed this. This whole project gave me... well I feel the same about Leo and Sakura as I did before. The other authors' did better than me, I think. But I had a lot of fun, and I appreciate Scott Pilgrim much more. This was a blast.

If you want to see me writing something more Fates-y, you can check out Gray Whirlpool. It's my long-running Fates plot parody, and I just finished the Birthright and Conquest fics today! Warning, it will be long.

Or better yet, you can go look at other authors, see what they have to offer.

See you next time.