Final Fantasy VIII, Final Fantasy X 1. When Two Men Collide

**A Question of Honor**  
Part of the Final Fantasy: Clouded Horizons Storyline

When Two Men Collide…

There were many things that Liam Bayloh was good at.

Because of his vampiric nature, he was able to rely heavily on stealth. It made him especially suited to the missions that he was often sent on by Garden, missions which the objectives made it imperative that the operative was not caught. He was quiet, and could get things done silently if necessary.

He'd proven time and time again his prowess behind the wheel of a vehicle. His own personal vehicle (he'd once overheard Darius DeValle calling it the "Angelmobile." He liked it, but didn't let on that he'd ever heard it) was specially tailored to his unique driving tastes. Whether on land or on water, his speed was legendary, and he'd lost many tailgaters by making a few easy (for him) turns at speeds far too fast for any normal humans to withstand easily.

His swordsmanship was fine-crafted, honed over one hundred years of fighting those who wanted him dusted. The katas that he practiced in his down time were elegant, admired by those who saw them and truly could understand the beauty and strength in them. With the Atma Weapon from Terranigma which had been blessed by Freya, he was a fierce enemy; one you would not turn your back on for just a moment.

His speed and strength enhanced all of his abilities, his senses fine-tuned by age, experience (and the fact that he was a vampire helped, too.) He was a man that was prepared for many, many things, and had the ability to do many more.

Yet, even he, a man with a demon hard-wired into his body, had no idea how to deal with this particular matter.

Benji Powell had overwhelmed incredible odds in the second that he'd dealt the final blow to the (now) former Pillar of Destiny. And of course, he'd done so with the help of the Pillar of Foretelling, Will, and many, many others who'd decided that it was in their best interests to make sure the young Planeswalker succeeded in his task. And with that power behind him, no force known to man nor demon could stop him.

And everything appeared to be getting back to normal. Trabia Garden had been put back in normal order after the rumors and speculation about Destine had been squelched by Ben's own actions, plus quick thinking on Katanas DeValle's part. Yes, all seemed to be falling back into place.

Except for the fact that Benji Powell had gone insane.

There'd been some speculation from the few people that this knowledge had been confined to, of course. Some said the massive overload of power coming into a mortal body had overloaded his mind, and it was causing the irrationality, spurts of mind-boggling rage… this was not the Benji Powell that had made a small name for himself at Trabia Garden.

All of those reasons had led to why Angel was sitting where he was at that moment.

When the first signs of trouble had appeared, the first to notice (and to be harmed) had been the three he'd associated with in Spira. Which meant that the first people he attacked in Gaia were Yuna, Rikku, and Paine. The attack was quick, but they'd managed to steer him off.

And Ben had disappeared soon after, leaving behind scars that might take years to repair.

Liam, or Angel as he'd been called for years, had been on the Celsius at the time. He'd been irritated that he hadn't realized something was wrong sooner, but his appearance had stopped Ben from doing something he'd regret even more, if only because he knew that Angel was not a force to be trifiled with.

Rikku and Paine had left the Celsius, disturbed by what they had seen. Yuna and Tidus had stayed, but soon only Yuna was left on the massive aircraft. She'd been in tears when Angel had found her…

--

"Hey," Angel said quietly from the stairs as he stepped lightly up them to where he heard Yuna crying. He saw her as he reached the top, sitting on one of the three beds, her back to him.

"Wh-what do you w-w-want?" She stuttered.

He stepped carefully towards her, allowing her to choose his actions.

"Misery loves company," He smiled, sitting across from her. She shook her head violently.

"No, I j-just want to be alone…" she cried, laying down on the bed and again facing away from him. Even though he could no longer see her face, the heat he felt from her, plus the visible shuttering told him that she continued to sob.

"You're scared, aren't you?" he asked, trying to get the woman to open up.

Her shuddering sobs continued, and she nodded.

"Ben?" he prodded.

Again, she nodded, a fresh new wave of tears washing over her. He shook his head silently, trying to shake loose something from when he was in fact only human. He'd not dealt with things like this in... Hyne… who knew how long. He knew that somehow, someway, she needed to talk. He just didn't know how to broach it.

So instead, he just sat there.

"Wh-what's wrong with Ben? Why d-d-did he at…attack us?" she finally whispered.

"I don't know," Angel replied, leaning forward with his chin on his folded hands. "But, I'll find out, I promise you that."

She slowly rolled over to look over at him.

"I-I've seen Ben m-m-mad… but he's n-never hurt any of us, e-e-e-especially Rikku…" she answered, her voice quivering more and more as she spoke.

--

After a bit more prodding, he'd discovered a bit more, of course.

The person who should've been sitting here listening to her problems, Tidus, hadn't dealt with the issue well. She'd not been open about what had led to the younger man leaving, but he got the impression it hadn't helped her in the slightest. So, Angel had done what he could, listening to the woman, answering when he felt she needed

And she'd finally fallen asleep.

Getting to his feet as quietly as possible, he started to walk downstairs. As he came by her bed though, he placed a stray blanket over her.

"I'll protect you."

_I've decided to explore a different side of Liam Jacob Bayloh, or those who know him better, Angel. Because of this, you will not see the Angel that you are used to in Final Fantasy: Clouded Horizons – Dimensional Legend._

_Until next chapter…_


	2. If You Win or You Lose

**A Question of Honor**  
Part of the Final Fantasy: Clouded Horizons Storyline

If You Win Or You Lose…

It had been a few months, but Ben had returned to his (semi)normal self. And because of that, things were finally coming around to some semblance of normal. Trabia Garden was this time in the full swing of things, an upcoming field exam on the minds of the cadet body. Missions had been quiet for the previous few days, so some overworked SeeDs found a much needed break from their normal life.

Well, almost.

"Don't you dare drop your guard, Locke! Katanas won't like it if I take your arm!"

In one of the training rooms on the second floor, Angel and Locke Cole were engaged in a battle of blades and wits. Angel, armed with the shimmering aqua blade known as Atma, and Locke with a shorter unnamed knife. Angel's blade glanced off a quick block from Locke and he leaped back to regain his footing.

"He won't like it? Forget that, I won't like it!" Locke laughed as he watched him fly back. "You're not getting scared of me, are ya old man?"

"Come at me and find out, kid," Angel chuckled, raising his blade to the ready position. Locke obliged, and soon the two were engaged in battle of the fastest variety, blades clanging together in the furious symphony of experienced combat. As they continued, however, it appeared that Angel was the more experienced, as a subtle change of tactic had Locke disarmed seconds later.

"It's that damn sword. Even before you brought it here and Freya blessed it… it's just not fair…" Locke muttered, but a smile lingered, letting Angel know that the treasure hunter was kidding.

"You're just upset you didn't catch on to my changes quick enough. But you're getting better!" Angel exclaimed, clapping Locke on the back. Heading over to a bench on the sidelines, he picked up the white towel he'd brought in with him. It wasn't that it was necessary for him to use it, because unfortunately, his unique physiology did not require him to sweat. But, others often found it unnerving to see him not sweating after such a rigorous workout.

So, all in all, Angel's small price to pay was carrying a towel.

The door slid open, and both of the combatants looked up.

"Am I interrupting?" Yuna said as she stepped into the room. Angel smiled, seeing Locke look up.

"Yuna! Of course not, we were just finishing," He stated, then pointed over to Locke. "That's my friend, Locke Cole; I don't know if you two have met."

Locke walked over to Yuna, and shook her hand firmly.

"We were in the same field exam, but I didn't have the honor," Locke answered, smiling as he met her eyes. She smiled warmly, and took her hand gently away.

"It's nice to meet you," she quietly greeted, then looked over at Angel. "Can we go someplace and talk?"

His eyes widened in alarm, but she laughed. "No, it's nothing serious; I just needed to talk to someone. Is it all right?"

Angel nodded, looking over at Locke. "Sure. I'll catch up with you later, Locke."

"Are you a fan of birds?" Angel questioned as he pulled the Angelmobile out of the parking spot in the vehicle garage at Trabia. Yuna looked over, blinking. She'd already been surprised by the sporty black two door coupe, which seemed so out of place in the midst of the other vehicles in the Garden garage. It'd appeared older than the other cars, but, despite its age, appeared to be extremely well kept.

"Birds?.. Well… I suppose. I've never really thought about it before," Yuna replied, uncomprehending why he'd ask such an abrupt question. "Why?"

Looking over to check she was buckled in, he pulled out of the garage and accelerated. The car reacted under him, the modifications to the car allowing both passengers to barely feel it (as he'd recently had an incident with someone unbuckled, and them complaining of the discomfort of the experience.) Soon, they were traveling at eighty miles per hour towards the coastline.

"Birds, at least some of them anyway have this crazy ability that I'd like to have for myself. Basically, they can stand on water."

Yuna looked over at Angel, her eyes still not understanding why this topic had started. Angel smiled, and continued.

"Katanas told me at one point that scientists in Esthar called it water effects. They'd dedicated years upon years of research on it, wanting to know why birds were able to stand, walk and land on water without suffering any ill effects… almost as if they were landing on ground. I looked up a few reports on it, and they used scientific mumbo-jumbo that I don't really care to understand."

She couldn't stand it. She finally had to ask.

"Why are you talking about this?" she quickly questioned, her eyes widened with disbelief that perhaps this man was secretly a nerd. However, his smile never left his face as he responded.

"How do you like being a bird, Lady Yuna?" he queried, the smile moving to his voice.

The sudden formality caused her to look away, and look out the window. Which in and of itself would not have caused her to jump, with the exception that she was seeing nothing but water. Whipping her head quickly around, she could barely see the vestiges of land behind her.

"Where are… where are we?!" Yuna squealed, a mixture of fear and wonder in her voice, and displayed on her face.

Angel turned his head to look back at the receding shoreline before responding. "I'd say a mile and a half from the coast of the Trabian Aristocracy, and about six out from Trabia Garden. We're traveling at someplace around 128 miles per hour, which is a quarter of the full speed of the Durandal. However, it's the perfect speed for this car to be able to perfectly ride the water in a vehicle of this size," he informed her, making minute adjustments to their direction.

"Why didn't you tell me sooner?" She whispered, the fear from only seconds ago gone.

He chuckled, looking over at her. "Two reasons. One, when I tell people, they freak out and don't enjoy the journey. Trust me; I wouldn't do this to anyone if I thought I'd hurt them, myself, or the car. Two, the look on your face when you got over your initial fear, that sense and feeling of awe that you still have was well worth it."

She nodded, blinking in wonder. Sure, she'd flown in an airship but this was _incredible. _

"I'm glad you appreciate it. Hope you don't mind going on a journey with me. That's why we're coasting over the water; it just makes things easier," he explained.

"Can't you teleport like Ben?" She asked, her voice still in silent awe of the scenery coasting past her. He nodded.

"Sure, but I don't like to unless I have to. Teleporting is impersonal, quick and painless. I'd much rather enjoy the journey there. The world is always changing around you; why miss that for instantaneous travel? I wouldn't want to."

She looked over at him. "I guess I've never looked at it that way," she conceded.

They continued on in silence for a few minutes before Angel finally spoke again. "So, you wanted to talk?"

She looked out the passenger side, still amazed by what she saw. "I don't know really what I wanted to talk about. I think I just wanted a friend… I'm still uncomfortable around here, and I don't always feel like I can talk to Rikku or Paine…" she trailed off, but leading Angel to a conclusion.

"You don't have to have anything to talk about if you just want to talk, you know," he answered, a light smirk on his face. She looked over at him and smiled.

"I know that!" she replied haughtily, but the smile never left her face. His response was another laugh, and she pouted. "Not fair!" She cried, only to get another huge laugh, which was contagious enough that soon she joined in on it. When they calmed down, she finally was able to speak again.

"Where are we headed?" Yuna asked. Angel smiled.

"Our destination is the Dollet Dukedom, which is both my favorite and my least favorite place in the world. Katanas asked me to drop off some classified documents to Duke Haroldington, and I happened to be going that way. It worked out for all three of us."

"All three of us?" Yuna questioned, curiosity piquing her interest.

"Of course! Obviously, he knows everything since you needed someone to talk to and I just happened to have an hour long car-ride ahead of me," he grinned, as he made more adjustments to their heading as he spotted a fishing frigate in the distance. He didn't receive an immediate response, however, so he glanced over to her.

"So, what's going on? I'm having a good time, but it seems like something's wrong…?" he led her, trying to get a response as to why she would come to him. She didn't look over at him, only quietly stating what was on her mind.

"I told Tidus we were done," she whispered.

He looked over again, his eyes widened. "Why?"

"Because he's not the same person I fell in love with during my pilgrimage. He… I guess the only way I could explain it is… uhmm…." She trailed off, trying to explain, but not finding words. Angel nodded.

"You fought to bring him back, right? That's what Ben told me anyway." Angel asked.

She nodded vigorously, her eyes brimming with tears. "But, he came back and started to act differently. Who knows, maybe I'm different now… but he's just not who I need anymore."

Angel kept his eyes on the "road" as he spoke, carefully measuring out his words. "And you are upset that you broke up?"

"I'm more upset that it didn't faze him. He just… thanked me for telling him," she muttered disbelieving. She shook her head, shaking away the tears, before finally speaking again. "I want to see the world, like you said. I want to experience the journey. I don't want to enjoy the things of the world; I want to enjoy the world… and I don't think he understood that…"

Looking up, Angel noticed in the distance the docks that symbolized the shipping district of Dollet.

"Listen. I know a good place. We'll drop off the stuff to the Duke, and then I'll take you out to eat. I'll tell you about what I've seen, and you can tell me about what you've seen, okay?" He asked as he changed the angle to approach to come up near an angled dock. Then, he looked over to her as he came to a stop at a light. "I'll even sweeten the deal. Since Katanas said I have to deliver these directly to the Duke, I'll introduce you."

That brought a smile to her face.

"Deal."

_Until next chapter…_


	3. The Way That You Choose

**A Question of Honor**  
Part of the Final Fantasy: Clouded Horizons Storyline

The Way That You Choose…

Things were getting nasty in the world, Angel reflected as he sat on one of the terraces overlooking Trabia Garden. Dollet was still a strong proponent of the Garden Network, but one of its navy Admirals (a man by the name of Luca Blight) and had caused some havoc, most recently inland at Winhill. He'd been in conflict with the man along with Ben Powell, and later had seen Katanas DeValle and Albel Nox deeply entrenched in battle with him.

It did not bode well that Garden's second strongest ally in the world had a high ranking homeland defense official who appeared to have a vendetta against them. However, Angel had continued doing his duties at Garden, which is part of why he was where he was at this moment.

Combat instruction.

"Instructor Georg is out for the day, seems he had a bad case of pneumonia! Liam Bayloh's the name, Angel to those who pass my rigorous training course which I'll be putting you all through at the conclusion of my introduction. One of the finest points of combat is your speed and the ability to spot someone in a crowd. With that information in mind, you'll be running to the front gate after doing 30 sit-ups here. Once there, you'll find SeeD Officer Benji Powell. You'll be doing 30 more push-ups for him, and then running back here. The fastest three to do those two tasks _correctly,_" he stressed, to the exasperated sighs of the entire class, "will be rewarded properly. Now, go,"

Within seconds, cadets were doing sit-up after sit-up, and Angel nodded approvingly. "Don't lift yourself with your back, or you won't make it, Cadet!" He yelled, poking one with his foot. Within a minute the first of them had gotten up, and stood at attention. Angel looked over and smirked.

"Suck up. Go!"

Within three minutes, everyone had left. Of course, what they didn't know was that Ben was hiding on a bench, in civilian clothes. Angel chuckled. "I'm so evil. Must be Angelus coming out."

"Angelus?" A voice from the door asked. Angel looked up a smiled warmly.

Since the drive to Dollet, and the dinner a few weeks previously, something had changed between the two. Yuna would show up where Angel was (fascinatingly enough, when he had down time,) and Yuna would often be surprised when Angel found her. He wasn't sure but…

"Are you going to tell me, or just stare at the door where I'm no longer standing?" she asked with a giggle. He smirked, and shook his head.

"It's nothing, just a bit of my past I try to forget… sometimes, it's just easier to laugh about it," he replied, his eyes turning to her. "What's up?"

She grinned. "I saw you send your class out. I thought you might have a minute." She stood in front of him, her wonderful smile still on her lips. "Where did you send them?"

Angel grinned. "Being the superb combat instructor that I could've been if I wanted to teach full time, I decided to send them out to do push-ups in the cold," his grin widened, "And I can't even say I planned it. I just tweaked it to my specifications. Georg wanted them to do physical work, and I made them do more. He'd be happy to know that I sent them out to see Ben, who is hiding. They'll be running out for a good twenty minutes before he flags them down… I love it!" He laughed again and then looked over just in time to see Yuna shaking her head.

"I'd say I'm surprised… but we both know I'm not," she responded, her amusement clear. "But, your torture of cadets isn't the reason I came to talk to you."

He cocked his head to the side. "And this mystery reason is?"

She headed towards the door. "If it's okay… I want to talk to you later…" She said, turning her head back.

He smiled, and nodded his agreement.

The late afternoon of Esthar turned to early evening as they pulled into a parking lot a few hours later. Pandora Café was fairly quiet tonight, Angel noted as he got out of the car and walked over to open Yuna's door. (After all, even though he'd not been human in some time, it didn't mean he couldn't be a gentleman if the situation required it.)

"Good choice, if I do say so m'self," Angel commented as he led them towards the building. Yuna looked over at him, a smile on her face. "Because you chose it?" she asked, to which he grinned. "Absolutely correct. It's the best decision because I, in fact chose it."

Yuna punched him in the arm as a response, and he grimaced. "Nice…" The woman packed a fairly powerful punch, but he wasn't particularly surprised. _Nor did it actually hurt, _he thought. And within a few minutes, they'd been seated at one of the secluded booths in the rear of the restaurant.

"Little known fact, Garden members get a discount here, because the DeValle family owns it. Plus, the food isn't bad," Angel mused as he looked over the menu. Within moments, the two had ordered their food, and were chatting.

"So, how did the class go?" Yuna questioned.

Angel rolled his eyes. "Smarter than I gave them credit for, which is a good thing. Hodgkins quickly figured out that Ben would be in plain clothes, and made sure that his classmates knew as well. They were back about five minutes after you left. I was impressed enough that I gave them the rest of the period off, and I put in a commendation on Hodgkin's file. He won't appreciate it until he graduates and he gets a higher pay-grade, but I think it was fitting."

She smiled. "So, even though you were disappointed that they came back…?"

"I'm glad they have good SeeD material amongst them. I'm glad to be even a small part of it," He replied, to which her smile grew. The two sat in silence for a few moments, just enjoying the company until Yuna spoke again.

"SeeD… I remember thinking that I was destined to die to bring Spira peace… I never thought I'd be in a completely different world after saving Spira twice. I never thought I'd be a mercenary, and enjoying it. I'm glad the journey led me here to this moment," Yuna commented, her eyes wandering around the restaurant, taking in the sights of the people and objects in it.

"You've gone philosophical on me, Lady Yuna," he answered, chuckling quietly. She turned her eyes to him and smiled again. Before she could respond, however, the food was delivered to their table.

Later that night, Yuna and Angel were walking through the main concourse of Trabia Garden, their voices low they bantered back and forth. Finally, however, they reached the room Yuna kept in Garden. She entered her security code, and the door opened.

"You didn't peek, did you?" she questioned, turning to face him. He shook his head vigorously, and held up a hand. "SeeD's honor. I would never look at another door's security panel to figure out how to enter when they weren't there," he replied. They stood there for only a moment before Yuna spoke again.

"I should head in."

He smiled and nodded. "Of course. Have a good night."

"I really had a good time tonight, Angel. I'm really happy we were able to talk about so much today."

And before he could react, she'd kissed him lightly.

"Love you."

And she walked in, the door closing behind her before he could respond.

Katanas had found him a few minutes later, asking him if he would make a midnight run to Esthar to deliver some documentation to the Presidential Guard of Esthar. It seemed that a mission undertaken by SeeD had revealed some very possible and likely threats against Laguna Loire, and it was imperative these documents made it to Esthar in a timely fashion.

So, that's why he was on his way to Esthar, driving along the coastline. And while it was a lengthy journey, that was okay. He had some thinking to do.

Things with Yuna had progressed in a direction he wasn't entirely against. Of course, he wasn't upset by this turn of events. He'd been finding that she made his days better, often bringing cheer when he was dealing with unruly cadets, or coming back from a mission he hadn't particularly wanted. She'd been making his life, which often times was more difficult than most, entirely worth it.

He pulled the Angelmobile around a large boulder, and shifted it into upper gears, allowing the car to reach top speeds in seconds.

Her lips had tasted wonderful for the second they'd touched his. He couldn't attach a specific term to it, but they tasted _exquisite. _And he'd only tasted them for a second. And the fact that she had said she loved him…

"Wait, what?!"

_Until next chapter…_


	4. The Hope and Regret

**A Question of Honor**  
Part of the Final Fantasy: Clouded Horizons Storyline

…The Hope And Regret

It had been weeks since the drive to Esthar when Liam Bayloh had actually realized what Yuna Kaname had meant when her lips had softly brushed his, proclaiming her affection for the vampire. And truthfully, she'd been nervous at first. The last person she'd uttered those three words to had ended up not holding them safe and close…

And Angel hadn't said anything to her yet.

Sure, they'd talked a lot since, but that night had remained unspoken of. The way he was acting, she wondered if she had dreamed it all; perhaps she'd not even kissed him to begin with. And if she'd imagined the whole thing… she wasn't sure she could ever do it for real.

Whether it happened or whether it didn't, however, didn't change the fact that she'd been dreaming about it ever since. She was making herself nervous by not saying anything, which was in turn causing herself misery, which in turn was causing her _physical_ illness.

She'd never dealt well with being anything less than completely truthful. Call it the summoner's spirit that Lulu and Wakka had raised in her. Deception was the hardest trait for her to deal with in herself and in others. Because of that, anything less than honesty from her, she considered deplorable.

Which is why she was slowly feeling worse and worse.

"Thinking about me?"

She jumped from her seat on one of the many benches in the concourse of Trabia Garden. Angel sat next to where she'd just been sitting, and chuckled quietly. "I was wondering how long it'd take before you noticed I was here. It appears I had to up my game a bit," he commented. Then, looking at her, he shook his head. "I didn't mean to frighten you, though."

She glared, but before long it had softened into a smile. "I forgive you, meanie."

His eyes widened. "Meanie? Really?"

She grinned. "Rikku rubbed off on me. It just slipped out, I suppose."

He rose to his feet, the smile remaining on his face. "A meanie, though? Really?"

Her grin only widened. "A big meanie! And I don't like you at all!"

His eyes twinkled, and his smiled quirked. "Not what you said the other day."

And just like that, her heart stopped. The words echoing through her head; what he had said, what she had said a few days previous? It had **happened. **Her eyes slowly drifted up to his, looking for confirmation of what he had said.

"We should talk," he quietly said, as he took her hand and escorted her towards the exit.

She was surprised, to say the least.

All the times in the past, Angel had brought her to various restaurants in the world. From the cafeteria at Trabia Garden, to Rubedo's in Deling City, she'd never quite known what to expect from the man. It'd always been a comfortable setting… which made her wonder exactly why they were in the middle of a field of flowers someplace in Centra. He'd been fairly quiet on the subject, however, so she'd allowed him to remain secretive.

But, she was excited. A picnic, perhaps?

He led her out to the center of the field, or as close as she could figure it was. Then, he'd turned away from her, looking out over the massive expanse, a far-away look in his eyes. They stood in silence before she finally broke it.

"Angel?"

He turned slowly to her, meeting her eyes. "Yuna… I… need you to know," his words came out strained, his face conveying nothing but nervousness. She grasped his hand, attempting to help him calm down. "Know what?" She asked.

He glanced down at their hands, linked, and began to speak almost silently. "My hands are stained; cold as stone. They'll never warm you; they'll never be anything other than what you feel them to be now. They're covered in the invisible blood of the innocents, forever muffling the tortured cries of those murdered, taken before their time."

He took his right hand from her, bringing it to her face.

"These hands are given life by blood, but not of my own. My life is fueled by those who have fallen; their spilled blood is the essence of what keeps me alive. My body has long rejected life, choosing to exist to take life from those around it."

He took her hand, touching two of her fingers to the point where his neck and head met. "My heart no longer beats. I don't need to breath and I don't ever sweat. I stopped needing to sleep when this change overtook my body," he whispered, his hand dropping from hers.

"I need you to know what you fell in love with."

Before her eyes, his face morphed. His face paled significantly, beginning his transformation into his true vampiric form. His forehead broadened, giving him the appearance of an ogre. His eyes darkened to a malevolent gold, piercing her to her very soul. Within seconds, the man she knew had turned into a terrifying yet brooding hulk.

To her credit, she did not scream.

"You fell in love with Liam Jacob Bayloh. You fell in love with Angel… you fell in love with the Scourge of Dollet, Angelus. You fell in love with an abomination; a Vayash Moru… a vampire."

He turned away, resigned to the fate that he knew was coming. While he'd had relationships, few people could accept the fact that their "friend" was a monster, and had committed murder on a genocidal level. His sins would never be forgiven, and while he had learned to cope with that, very few others could.

Which is why he was surprised when her hand touched his left shoulder, gently turning him towards her. And there was nothing showing on her beautiful face except for wonderful acceptance. "You believe yourself to be nothing but a monster, Liam?"

His eyes shut. She'd found truly the only emotional weakness; his own perception and his self-depreciation.

"You're not a monster," she stated firmly. His eyes didn't open, and she brought her hand to his face and began to caress it gently. "A monster wouldn't take me out to dinner, and make me smile in my worst times. An abomination wouldn't teach me how to feel like a bird. A scourge wouldn't feel guilt over the crimes he committed. A bane wouldn't have brought me to this wondrous field to admit his crimes. The horrible thing you see yourself as…" she paused, collecting herself. "…it wouldn't promise to protect me."

His eyes opened to meet hers. "You… heard?" Her response was non-verbal; her smile widened to wonderful proportions. Then, finally, she spoke once more. "Your heart doesn't beat, but I feel it. I feel the warmth of your hands, though the coldness tries to prevent it."

Then she pressed her lips to his. And to his addled mind, it quietly occurred that she was kissing the vampire façade, not his human features. But soon, the thoughts were drawn away by the soul-searching nature of her lips, the taste of strawberry, touched with the hopes and dreams of a future in which he was able to live without the self-loathing that he'd hid for so long. Even with that hope, however… he wasn't sure if he could surrender what he had held so close for so long to her.

After what seemed like hours, she pulled away, her arms still around him.

"I didn't fall in love with the monster, or the man. I fell in love with all of you, for better or for worse, Liam."

The vampire's façade faded, replaced by his human side. He pulled her closer to him, bringing her lips to his again.

It turned out that surrender was fairly simple.

--

_And we are finished. I'm really pleased with the final product. I have beta testers by the name of Ben and Darius, and they did a good thing, along with those on the Forsaken Dreams forums who read over it as well. Thanks guys!_


	5. Epilogue

**A Question of Honor**  
Part of the Final Fantasy: Clouded Horizons Storyline

Epilogue

They were stretched out amongst the flowers of the field for hours later. They'd talked, of course. Yuna had talked about her pilgrimage, about Garden, about her hopes and dreams, everything that had come to mind.

While she had talked, Angel had listened, and just held her in his arms; enjoying the feel of actual _human_ contact for the first time in… he wasn't sure. And when she was finished speaking, he told her of his life… and of the life of the Scourge of Dollet. It had been one of the most difficult things he had ever done, but it had been cleansing for his soul. After so long, he felt lighter; able to deal with everything new and wonderful that Yuna was offering him.

The horrendous things that he had done to Dollet and the world were irreversible. But, the positive image Yuna held of him, the way that she spoke of him, even the way that her eyes took him in… it was intoxicating; impossible to think negatively.

Soft breathing brought his attention back to the woman who lay in his arms. Her eyes were shut, her breathing slowed. He smiled; she'd fallen asleep in his arms. And he couldn't deny to himself how _perfect _she felt there.

He loved her. He'd realized it the second he'd realized what she had said.

His gaze stayed on her for an incalculable amount of time. The way her chest rose and fell with each breath was amazing. The way her lips shone in the bright afternoon light, the way that her eyes fluttered beneath heavy lids… she was absolutely exquisite.

"Are you just going to look at me all day?" Yuna's voice sleepily broke the silence. Angel smiled. "Only if you let me." She giggled, her eyes still closed. She sighed, snuggling into his chest. "'Kay."

They sat in silence again, enjoying their moment. Angel's lips quirked again. "Tired?"

"Mmhmm."

Angel's right eyebrow rose. She was rather agreeable…

"Listening to me?"

"Mmmhm."

"Marry me?"

"'Kay."

He smiled, holding back the chuckle he knew was coming. And then her eyes opened, and her head turned towards him. "You mean it, right?"

He blinked. Had he meant it? Originally, he'd meant it as nothing more than a joke, a statement to see if she was paying attention. But now, he wondered. Was this the woman he wanted to spend his entire life with? This woman who…

"Yes."

She closed her eyes, before wrapping her arms around his neck. "'Kay."

--

_I wonder how this will be accepted… until next epilogue..? Maybe._


	6. Epilogue II Until We Meet Again

**A Question of Honor**  
Part of the Final Fantasy: Clouded Horizons Storyline

Epilogue 2 – Until We Meet Again

_One Year and Nine Months Later…_

Liam Bayloh sat in his office at Esthar Garden looking over the schematics of Trabia Garden. The briefing had gone surprisingly well, and the combined Dollet and SeeD troops were getting along well, as they always had. Part of him was pleased; the two groups always had worked together well.

It was a heavy burden on his heart to realize that many of them could potentially die at Trabia Garden today. However, a much heavier burden on his heart currently was the one he was preparing to deal with.

Looking over the weapons once again laid across his desk, he smiled grimly. The pulse ammunition was stocked, and in seconds strapped to his waist in a criss/cross fashion (much like he'd seen Squall Leonhart wear his.) Next, he sheathed a knife to each side, and then holstered the twin pulse rifles in the chest holsters (placed for quick removal).

He'd run over his plan in his head, and nodded. It was simple. He'd teleport to the elevator, take it down to the MD levels, find the server, and override any control that Sephiroth and the Eighteen had.

As he sheathed the Atma Weapon to his back, he closed his eyes.

He had responsibilities, of course. He was the Esthar Garden Headmaster, in charge of the operation in which they were currently engaging. Seifer would be in charge of the forces on the ground, along with Randolph. And he was to oversee this operation from the command center.

There were extenuating circumstances, however. Circumstances that weren't any of Seifer Almasy's business. Sure, he did have responsibilities. Responsibilities which required him to do the right thing, no matter what the cost. He'd taught Katanas DeValle the same thing, and a conversation he'd had with the man had reminded him of that.

And then he had those responsibilities which required him to be a good Garden Headmaster. And those were equally important.

But Yuna was in there.  
--

_Thanks for reading!_


End file.

Final Fantasy VIII, Final Fantasy X, Drama, Romance