Puppy Love

By Father M.J. Hulk

St. Eva Church

Parish: Gate

OPENING WORDS: Hello my children! Father M.J. Hulk here, with a fresh, 1-chapter romance between the unlikeliest of lovers! Now, a special request to my readers: If this has been done before, please TELL ME! I'm anxious to see if anybody felt sorry for our hero, Bow, who has always been floundering at the shallow end of the romance pool. Well, hope you enjoy, and please review! Good reviews give our God incredible powers!!!

An owl hooted in the trees and the last of the E.Sludges could be seen slipping underground for the evening. Baretta and Karishinokofu locked their shop doors for the night, and the closing time call was sounded at the Carpenter's bar. It was twilight in the flourishing new city of Township, and lights could be seen glowing brightly in the tenant's upstairs windows. Poo settled under his covers, thinking of the long day of traveling tomorrow. Barose had locked himself in his study, poring over magic scrolls and texts, and Win put his paint brushes away and slipped into the bath.

At the north end of town stood the great mansion, home of the town's founders; a group of nine warriors brought together by fate to save the world.

It was the figure known as Bow--a Grass Runner tribesman and Ryu's best buddy--that we now see come around from the back of the house. He had just put the remaining firewood out back and put the day's game catches in the ice house. He came around the corner, breathing heavy and wiping his forehead on his sleeve.

"Hoo… every day with the firewood… but, I can handle it! I wonder what we'll be doing tomorrow. Maybe we'll…" He stopped suddenly, hearing a sound picked up on the air. "Humm, what's that noise?" he wondered. He raised an ear and listened more intently. "It sounds like someone crying…"

He cautiously followed the sound over to the side of the house, and, sitting on a stump beyond the reach of the light thrown out by the mansion's upper windows, sat Nina Windia, her face in her hands, sobbing.

Bow could understand why she was upset… the previous day, they had visited Windia for Nina to obtain the powers of the Great Bird, so they could fly to the St. Eva Grand Church. But, in an act of heroism (or foolishness), Nina's sister Mina stole the Wing Emblem and transformed herself into the Great Bird. Nina had now lost her little sister… at least, as a human. It was very hard for her, seeing her sister sacrifice her human life when she was still so young.

Now, Bow was never good at compassionate comforting, but he felt he just couldn't leave her there alone. He walked up and sat down on the stump next to her.

She didn't seem to notice at first; she just continued to cry, her wings shaking violently with each sob. Bow sat there, hoping she would look up so he could comfort her, but she didn't, and kept her face buried in her hands.

Bow gently placed his hand on her shoulder, and she finally looked up at him, her eyes puffy and red, her long golden hair strewn messily about her forehead, and tears streaming down her cheeks.

Before Bow could speak, Nina cried, "She was so young, Bow! My sister… Those powers… should have been mine… I… needed to…" she broke down in tears again. Bow moved closer and put his arm around her.

"She wouldn't have done it if she didn't love you very much." he said. "She knew that you had the power to defeat the demon."

"I know… I know…" She wept, and then fell into silence. Bow sat there with her for a good while, and finally she sat up and said, "Don't you ever leave me, Bow!"

"Me, Nina?" he asked, confused.

"Well, I meant… I mean, all of you! The whole group!" she faltered. "I can't bear to lose anyone else…"

Bow smiled sadly. "I can't make any promises about the others, but I can promise you that I'll always be here for you, Nina." he said, squeezing her hand.

She gazed into his eyes. "You promise?"

He squeezed her hand again. "I promise."

Nina continued to stare into his eyes. She was surprised… whenever she saw Bow he was always cheerful and had a merry twinkle in his eyes. But that wasn't there now… she saw caring, trust, and… something else… she couldn't place it…

Images of her sister began to flash into her mind again, and she began to cry. "Oh Bow…hold me…" She whispered, throwing her arms around his neck.

Bow was surprised a bit at first, but then he put his arms around her and held her tight as she cried. They sat like that for about an hour, not saying anything.

Nina wept silently in Bow's embrace. She felt sheltered in his arms… she felt safe. She wanted to stay there all night. She had never known that one always so cheerful could also be so caring. When she first met up with Ryu and Bow, Bow had pulled her aside and told her a joke about the Dragon Clan which instantly made her laugh. He often had entertained her and the others with songs and stories during the night when they were all gathered around the fire. He knew a lot about the past, and she had listened to his stories, fascinated. Sten had even got out his banjo one night and started playing a square dance, and she had partnered up with Bow and they had a really fun time. But now, she could see that he could be quite serious and compassionate.

"Nina? Are you asleep?" Bow whispered, breaking her out of her thoughts.

"No… I was just thinking." She said, and when she looked up into his eyes again, still sheltered in his arms, she saw that look again and she knew at last what it was. Her heart had been crying a message out to her all this time, and she finally accepted it at last. She loved him. She loved Bow.

"Are you all right, Nina?" Bow asked, seeing a misty look come over her face.

She ran her hand over his cheek. "Oh, Bow…" She whispered, and she kissed him, very gently.

When she pulled away, Bow was thunderstruck. "Nina…? What…?"

"Shh…" She placed her finger over his lips, and kissed him again. Bow closed his eyes and returned it, for he too had come to grips with his feelings for Nina.

"I really do love you, Nina," Bow said when they parted.

She smiled and wiped away a tear…this time, a tear of happiness. "I love you as well, Bow." Bow began to speak again, but Nina shushed him. "Just kiss me." She told him. And Bow did.

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Basilisks crowed in the distance as the sun peeked up over the horizon. Ryu Bateson, refreshed from a good night's sleep, rose from his bed and exited his room. He went down the hall and knocked on the adjacent door.

"Hey, Bow! Time to get up, buddy!" There was silence. "Come on, man, no sleeping in! We have work to do!" Still silence. Ryu pushed open the door to find the room empty, and the bed still made. "Bow? Where'd he go, that goof off?"

Ryu went downstairs, where everyone else was having breakfast. "Has anybody seen Bow?" he asked.

"I haven't seen him since last night." Rand answered. "Come to think of it, I haven't seen Nina since last night either."

"They're both gone?" Ryu said, confused. "Hmm…" He thought maybe Bow had ventured out into the woods to catch some fresh pigs for bacon, so he left the mansion and started walking towards the forest. Suddenly he stopped and stared.

Bow and Nina were sitting on a tree stump, leaning against a tree, fast asleep in each other's embrace.

Ryu rubbed his eyes, looked again, sighed and returned to the mansion.

"What is it?" Everyone asked when he returned.

Ryu looked back the way he came, then turned back and replied, "It's love."

BENEDICTION: So! What do you think? Not bad, eh? I think it turned out rather well. But of course, my opinion matters very little. Soooo, please review! Thank you, and I'll see you at the opening of my next work!

Father Maximillian J. Hulk