"I never noticed."
"Noticed what?"
Everything. How absolutely beautiful everything is."
The pond they were at shimmered with the light cascading
softly, ever so softly,
as the light touched it with gentle fingers.
"I always dreamed of Home. I would always wish of this
adventurous, perfect life. My family and friends that I loved."
"What do you mean Gatti?"
"I remember what life was like before I came
here."
Gatti shivered. The pale cold wind has blown softly to shake
him
But the his memories were colder. It's cold. So very
cold.
Gatti?
I remember...
Gatti stared to drift off into another world, a world of his
past in which even though he tried to pull hard through, he couldn't, he was
being pulled through and nothing could stop his memories were flooding back
stronger than ever.
Gatti stared to sit down and rock himself.
Chesta walked towards him with gentle steps, like a child,
his Aneki was staring to worry him.
In all his years as a Dragon Slayer he had never seen any of
them act like this.
None, but that was how it had to be, in Zaibach. Cold and
ruthless and unfeeling. That was the world of Gaea. Wasn't it?
You had to live shielded and repress everything so you could
survive.
"What happened?" Chesta asked. He was afraid to
ask but knew that he would never have a chance to know if if he didn't.
"I remember when I was a little boy, I was
child-molested. It was just once and that was it, but it made me feel
somewhat dirty, you know. You wouldn't know, Chesta.
"What do you mean?"
"You had a good life. You father didn't beat you and
call you a coward or wish in all the world of Gaea that you were never born. Admit
it Chesta you don't know."
Chesta could hardly answer. "No, I wouldn't."
The wind stared to blow harsher cooling their flushed
cheeks. Gatti started to shake. It's cold, so very cold.
"Let's go inside Gatti."
Gatti was shivering violently. He place the back of his hand
to his chin, His hand was an icy cold.
Its cold, Chesta, Its cold.
He shivered violently. A seizure. No not again. No wait. The
soldiers took Gatti as he fell to the ground. What are you doing-
"Don't worry. Everything will be fine." Chesta
heard a figure cloaked in darkness say. A hand emerged and ejected Gatti with a
serum.
Gatti winced as his hand was injected. It hurt, but his seizure
began to ease.
Gatti awoke to see his younger brother standing before him.
"Chesta what are you doing just standing there?"
"Don't you remember?"
"No, what do you mean?"
"Your past, the seizure?"
"Stop this nonsense, Chesta. I hungry and I'm going to
eat.
"But don't you remember-,"he protested.
"No, I don't remember. All I remember is what I'm
feeling right now
and I'm hungry.
Gatti walked out.
Chesta wondered. What was it like never to remember your
life. Your past. Perhaps it was all for the better.
But as he stood there thinking, he said aloud.
"You don't remember Gatti, but I do. I will always
remember."
The end