Disclaimer: Ah yeah, this as always. Legend of Dragoon not mine, belongs to Sony and affiliates. Don't sue.
Note: Not too huge spoilers for those that haven't played the game. My first -and
probably last- LoD fic. Hey, I only rented the game for a couple weeks and now I remember
almost nothing of it. ^_^; Review, review, review pleeeease!
Special Times
Dart's eyes fluttered open from his deep sleep and he frowned at the wall of Donau's inn, wondering why he was awakened at such a time. The sky was dark and clear before he fell asleep so it wouldn't be raining, he foggily recalled. And how often did it rain in Donau? Never? He strained his ears to catch the possible pattering of rain on the roof but heard only silence.
Silence. He sat up, suddenly feeling concerned. His eyes swung over to the bed beside his, only to discover it empty. Some cure potion bottles were scattered on the bed, as though someone had dumped them there. Shana was rooming with him this trip, much to their friends' amusement. Dart insisted nothing would happen between them but as always, his protest was pointless. And it was the absolute truth. Nothing had happened. Whether that was more disappointing to himself or Shana, Dart couldn't tell.
A sudden warmth kindled his insides, a feeling so intense he knew it wasn't some reaction to his fond thoughts of Shana. It was an odd sensation; flickering pulses of cool and hot. It kept prodding, like a dog tugging impatiently at its owner's leash. It just wouldn't leave him alone. So familiar it felt, but altogether entirely different.
Deningrad's Divine Dragon, Dart's mind absently skimmed the thought. Then it really did a sucker punch to his brain. It was like the time he had encountered the Divine Dragon. He had sunk to his knees in pain upon the Dragon's unexpected manipulation of his firey Dragoon Spirit. But this time, there was no pain. Just insistance he simply couldn't ignore.
Like Meru's constant insistance of fun. Dart growled at the simmering temperature fluctuations and between clenched teeth he cooed to the dark, "All right, Dart will take you out for a treasure hunt. I'll find what you're looking for, and you'll be satisfied and then I'll get back to my much needed sleep." Sliding out of bed, he sighed and sluggishly crossed the short distance to his newly-upgraded armor, running clumsy hands over the cool metal to find the secret slot where his new Dragoon Spirit was hidden. When his fingers didn't feel the accustomed gem in its proper spot, panic struck even more. Worrying about Shana's now unusually long departure and now his Spirit. All again! And now this strange, strange feeling that pulsed with each heartbeat. Dart considered waking one of the others, demanding a search team, but he mind repelled the idea. Once he had a more definite grasp of events he'd get their help.
With the assistance of the dim table lamp, a buttoned shirt, pants and a pair of shoes Shana had strongly insisted he buy was more or less put on and he rushed out. True, he could have stumbled down the hallway in pretty much his underwear, but the notion of his friends -much less strangers- catching him dressed in loose night wear made him very uneasy. That's why he prefered his stiff armor over fancy clothes. He never felt any anxiety about appearance behind the protective metal.
He beelined to the reception desk. "Did you see a girl leave? Dark hair?" Dart didn't waste any time with a greeting.
The woman behind the desk was a bit startled to say the least. "Y-yes. A little while ago."
"Was she taken against her will?"
"Excuse me?" She now stared at him as if he had just grown horns.
Dart surmised that as a no. He hurredly shook his head. He wasn't even sure why that had come out. "Never mind. Thanks." He was out the inn's front door before the woman could add anything else. Beneath the starlit night, he took in a calming breath. Shana certainly knew better than to leave the city, what with billions of monsters out there to fight against. No, she would stay in. Good thing Donau was a small town. Dart was so incredibly tired and he didn't want to search long.
He made his way down the gravel path that led to the town's quaint heart, glad that there were no more bandits roaming around. That would've added yet another worry to his mental list of inconveniences. The internal flashes slowly diminished as he continued down the path, the sound of the faint crashing sea meeting his ears. He kept going straight, past the other housing and stopped at the point where two sets of stairs diverged. One down and the other up. Dart warily looked up at ascending steps. Down below, Illisa Bay's tame waves were making him disoriented and he tried to concentrate.
Senses telling him to climb, he feet responded lazily. Relief overcame him when he reached the top. There was Shana, at the very far end of the path, tucked away in a secluded spot as she lay on a blanket. Fence and colorful flowers surrounding her, Dart couldn't help but think she looked so very fragile. Or perhaps it was the moon, shining brightly down on the sweet face that had the power to change the world's fate.
Quietly dropping to his knees beside the closed-eyed Shana, his vision instantly zeroed in to the object enclosed in her hands. A very precious, very priceless Divine Spirit. He sighed in ease when he realized everything was fine. He found himself looking down at opening eyes.
"Dart?" Shana sleepily breathed, hands loosely juggling the Spirit. Realizing the stone was something of Dart's and he was right in front of her, catching her red-handed, she let out a tiny squeak. "Dart, I-"
"Am missing," he finished, a small smile touching the sides of his mouth. "You know that?"
"Oh no." With his support she managed to sit up. She stretched lazily. "Guess I was more tired than I thought." She chuckled lightly as she reached up a hand to smooth his tousled mass of blond bed hair. "I can tell at least one person was worried. No mirror?"
She didn't stop right away and Dart closed his eyes to it, allowing himself to be carried along the waves of pleasure surfing through his system like the balmy but intrepid Illisa Bay. "I'm sorry," he heard her quietly say. "I...I wanted to be outside for awhile. So I took this blanket in my pack and came here."
Dart gradually opened his drooping eyes, blinking away the nagging sleepiness momentarily, revelling the seconds of pleasure he had just floated on. "So that's why your stuff was all over the bed."
Shana nodded. "And I didn't want the lady at the desk to see that I was hijacking an inn blanket so I did the only thing I could." She held up her backpack.
Half-lidded eyes surveyed her and a large hand rested on her cool one, the hand with greyish jewel. "And this?" Dart couldn't wait to hear her excuse.
Her eyes flitted away, out to the peaceful sea. "I- I'm sorry about that too."
"But why do you have it?" By impulse, Dart's fingers gripped slightly. He took the Divine Spirit and jiggled it in his palm, feeling Shana's lingering warmth. Or perhaps its own warmth of happiness at the re-ownership. It glowed faintly before he pocketed it.
"Because I miss it." Shana's eyes filled with unexplained tears. "You can do that. You have its power and you can help people. You can fight. You can save this world with this power."
"And...you're saying you can't help?" Pity flooded to his facial features.
"I'm...I'm just little Shana. I know what to do, I've seen more of this mysterious Dragoon magic than any ordinary person and-" She covered her face with her hands. "I'm still one of them. Unable."
"Oh Shana." Dart crushed her against his body, strong arms cradling her as he rocked, not knowing what else to do. "I'm sorry you feel that way. You should have said it earlier."
"While you were trying to save this planet from What's-his-name? That would have helped the fight tons." Sarcasm dripped clearly from her tone even though her voice was muffled in his chest.
"Melbu," Dart felt a smile, knowing she didn't expect a name. "But I guess you're right." He closed his eyes as his chin rested on top of her head, feeling bad. Then a flare of anger cut. Why should he feel guilty? He didn't do anything wrong. It wasn't him who took away her Silver Spirit along their journey, so why the displeasing emotions?
Sniffling, Shana hugged him fully, unanswering. Dart took that as a Quiet Moment and continued rocking, listening to the sea below.
"Dar-"
"Hmm?"
Her head shook furtively. "Never mind."
"Hey, you can tell me."
Shana's indecisiveness was long and Dart felt the inkling of dread creeping up his spine. "Is...is there something wrong?"
"No. Maybe. Maybe."
That answer was a comfort. But he waited patiently, his spine tingling with each passing second.
"When we were in the Twin Castle before that banquet, do you remember our talk?"
Uh oh. It wasn't going to be more of this questioning, was it? Dart thought he made himself quite clear of his feelings on the balcony at Fletz. "Um, yeah. I remember that."
"And...you said you didn't think of me as a baby sister?"
"Right." His entire back throbbed.
"You...didn't really mean that did you? It was just in the moment? I-I was confessing and maybe you felt like you were pushed into too?"
"No, I did mean it." Dart said sincerely, pulling away to stare into her eyes.
Hands moved to his chest, right on his heart and she kept her gaze on that spot. "That's...sweet."
That pause made him confused. Wasn't loving her suppose to be happy news? And the look on her face, something revealed she was holding back something. "You don't like it?" He didn't know what else to ask.
"No! I love it! Really, I-"
"Am not telling me everything." His grip was now on her upper arms.
"I don't know what you mean." Shana smiled, and it probably would've pulled off well except it faltered as his gaze bore like laser beams. "I..."
"Shana!" Dart's tone came out sharper than intended.
"Lavitz!" Eyes squeezed shut.
The ghostly name caused a horrible rush and Dart released his hold as he swallowed hard, tried to think. "What?"
"He was a part of you!"
"I-I know. He was a part of everyone. What's that got to do with us?"
"He-" Dark eyes stared into his. "He meant more to you than I have!" she blurted. "He helped you and you him. I've seen both of you together. You were like best friends. You took his side in everything, especially when he got hurt."
"I know I helped him out a lot." Heart pounding loudly, Dart breathed, "I don't understand."
"Was he more to you than friends? Like- like-"
"Not platonic love?"
Shana nodded.
He really thought about that. He was alone for so long during his trek to find the Black Monster that when he finally met up with someone that he could really talk to, it was a natural tendency to cling. Dart told her that. "It was hard being alone. And returning to Seles to find it burning, with the people hurt and dying- It was just so painful. I didn't know where my friends were and whether they were fine. And looking for you, unexpectedly. I had no support, nobody to back me up. And while looking for you in Hellena Prison, Lavitz...he gave me comfort in some way. I don't know if I can explain."
"I see." A short pause. "Both of you were very protective of each other."
Dart nodded. "I realize that now."
Shana hugged him. "I hope I can be the one to give you that same comfort. It doesn't sound like much..."
"I'd like it very much." He kissed the top of her head. "That makes things like this easier to handle."
"I'm sorry I brought it up. This pain." Her small frame cradled into his built one.
"It's okay. It's nice to be reminded of him. Makes me remember he was a friend of mine and not a stranger." The moon had grown brighter, Dart noticed just then. He still enjoyed appreciating the beauty of nature, despite the hardships and aches he was forced to endure. When Dart was young, his father always picked up that attribute and often made fun that he would eventually get his son to bypass girls altogether if he got him interested in everythng else.
The round moon's perfect image began wavering as Dart's eyes burned and a choke lodged in his throat. "I miss you Dad."
And Shana held his now fragile body to comfort as Lavitz had done before, her love's face buried into the crook of her shoulder. The sound of the ocean consoled Dart greatly, oddly more than Shana. But there was no denying that the stroking hands down his back and shoulders was thereputic. "Thank you," he murmured hoarsely. "That feels good." Pulling back gingerly, he said, "I love you, Shana. In case I haven't said it lately. You mean a lot to me. What you do means a lot."
"I love you too. And thanks for the compliment." She giggled shyly. "I believe that's a first, coming from you."
A blush creeped to his cheeks and he sucked them in in embarrassment. "Oh boy." He tried to laugh it off, but Shana's was louder. "Hey, don't make fun. Everyone has flaws." He tried to sound dignified.
"And I can't wait to see this flaw of yours improve. Soon you'll be delivering beautiful flowers from Donau even though we may be a continent away." Shana mocked a dream-like swoon. "It should be fun."
Dart touched her cheek, smiling. He blinked and said abruptly, "You said you missed it."
"Hmm?"
"The power. The Dragoon power. You said you missed it."
"Yeah." Feminine fingertips played with his sleeve.
"Do you want proof it's not a dream?"
"Huh?" Uncertainty produced a tiny pout. "I don't get it."
Dart took out the Dragoon Spirit from his pocket, smiling coyly. "When's the last time you saw my wings?"
Shana's eyes widened upon interpretation. "You'd show me? Now? People could be-"
His head shook firmly. "Nobody's watching. It's the middle of the night."
About to protest once more, she didn't get the chance because as soon as her mouth opened, Dart had already acquired wings. Translucent and fluttering, he spread them out to their fullest, amazing Shana even more. Clad in the grey armor, it was so abundant that his lean body was completely swallowed up in its powerful depths and it took a moment for her to locate his face. Secretly, Dart wondered if she preferred his old Fire Spirit transformation since she never had trouble searchng for his face then.
"It- They're beautiful. Your wings."
Floating up to a standing position, he held out a gloved hand. "Care to take a view of the world?"
Tenatively grasping it, Shana was pulled upright. "I don't know. We really should be getting back. And you looked tired and I'm not sure you have enough energy-"
"Key word being 'looked'. As in past tense." Dart locked his arms around hers, making it difficult for her to break free. And breathe. He drifted a few inches higher, twirling her around in squeal-evoking circles. He set her back on the hard earth, smile radiant. "The Spirit imbues me with more strength and gracefulness than if I was a normal guy. See?" To demonstrate, Dart did some impressive acrobatics consisting of some flips and turns in the air, causing a laugh. "So I'm fine. And if I really am not feeling too great, Illisa Bay is always there to cushion us." He flew back, taking both her hands this time. "Only for a few minutes?" His eyes still glowed.
Shana laughed again, returning his grip, a smirk instantly on her lips. "Fly me to the moon."
~ * ~ * ~ *~ * ~ * ~ *~
"Hey mama, I saw something yesterday!" A little girl beamed as she played on her tiny front lawn.
"What is it?" Her mother stopped folding the shirt from her basketed laundry pile and looked at her daughter curiously.
Stooping low to pluck a carnation pink flower, the girl giggled. "I saw an angel last night. He had wings as clear as the ocean water and they went out to here-" she stretched out her arms, "and he was giving a girl happiness by letting her fly on his back. She was smiling a lot."
Mother chuckled with amusement. "That was some dream you had."
"It wasn't a dream! It was real!" The small girl stopped when the wind rustled her hair, intensifying the sounds of the sea, the sky. Staring out at the puffy white clouds and crooning gulls, she whispered, "I know you're real."