Disclaimer: I don't own Legend of Dragoon.....
Dedication: To Taemyr, Zidane's Dagger, Siena, and Tira_Mearl_Festa....and to you; the reader and the reviewer.



~**~Chapter 3~**~

~*~Were you afraid of losing her?~*~

Shana groaned lightly as the bright sunlight flowed into her room from the open window. She opened her eyes and blinked a couple of times, waiting for her eyes to adjust. Her left hand throbbed as she tried to curl her hand into a fist. Shana grimaced and slowly got out of the bed, with the sheet wrapped around her body.

Shana walked over to her closet and pulled out a light blue sundress that ended at her knees. She saw the bruise on the side of her face as she walked over to the full length mirror and she stared. Shana was confused. Her body hurt in many places and now she had a bruise on her cheek?

' When did this happen? ', she thought as she reached up to gingerly finger the light violet bruise.

Shana shrugged and slipped into the dress. She threw the sheet onto the bed and went to open her door, but she found her door on the ground beside the doorway, propped up against the wall. Shana frowned deeply and walked through the doorway towards the kitchen.

Shana found her shirt folded neatly on the table and she cocked her head to the side, " What's going on? What happened last night? ", she wondered outloud.

Shana shook her head and slipped her bare feet into a pair of strappy black sandals. She opened the door to find the little village bustling with excitement of a new day. Shana smiled lightly and stepped out onto the porch. She pulled the door closed and grabbed her basket by the small set of stairs.

Shana was going to go pick some more flowers. She walked down at the path and hummed a quiet lullybye to herself as she kicked at some stones. Zidu ran by chased closely by Dart's mother. Shana chuckled and shook her head, smiling, " What fun that must be....I wonder where Rose is...or Dart.... "

Shana continued to walk. Something was tugging at the back of her mind and it was really annoying her. She shook her head again. Shana sighed quietly and then scratched her cheek, only to wince as she applied pressure to her bruise.

The sounds of light approaching footsteps caused her to stop in her tracks and then whirl around. She found herself staring at Dart, who was watching her. Shana blinked and then coughed lightly, " D-dart.... "

Dart bit his lip and he suddenly felt sorry for the girl, " Shana. How are you feeling today? "

Shana shrugged, " I don't know.....okay I guess.... "

Dart nodded and took a step towards her. Shana suddenly shook her head and took a step back. Dart swallowed and sighed, " Look...I'm really sorry about last night.... "

Shana blinked, " What are you talking about? "

It was Dart's turn to blink, ' She doesn't remember? '

" Dart? You alright...you look...pale. "

Dart shook his head hard and looked at her, " You mean you don't remember....? "

Shana lifted an eyebrow and gripped the handle of her basket tightly, " I...don't believe so... "

" Shana.... ", Dart whispered lightly but went silent.

Shana looked at him. There were two of him. She shook her head, trying to clear it, but it was no use. Instead of there being two Dart's, there were five. Shana took a step back and stumbled slightly. Dart took a step towards her and saw as she fell back.

Dart ran towards her quickly and caught her just before she could hit the ground. Shana looked up at him and shuddered violently once. Dart watched her and shook his head, " S-shana? What's wrong? Tell me what's wrong! "

Shana opened her mouth to respond but nothing came out, only a small strangled gurgle, followed by blood that trickled down her chin. She closed her mouth and shuddered again. Dart cradled her to him as he drew her into his lap. It felt so nice to be held by him, so close.

Dart reached down to wipe a tear from her cheek that slowly slid from her eye. Shana brought her hand up to grasp his and he felt something warm and wet against his hand. He flipped her hand over and looked down at it. A deep ugly gash in the middle of the palm.

Dart cursed loudly and then felt Shana suddenly go limp in his arms, " Shit. Shana...hey. Wake up, don't go on me just yet. We can take you to see my mother...she'll make you better.... ", he pleaded.

Shana's head fell to the side and there was a sigh of breath that left her lips. Dart shook his head, trying not to think of the unthinkable. He slipped his arm under her knees and picked her up in his arms. Villagers watched as he quickly turned around and hastily ran towards his mother's house, cradling Shana to his chest the entire way there.

***************************************************************

Claire closed her eyes and leaned her head back against the chair, " Ahhh...no more patients booked for the day....a relief this will be.... ", she muttered happily.

Haschel quietly walked into the room and looked at him daughter, smiling," You don't plan on sleeping, now, do you? "

Claire opened an eye and looked over at him, " And if I do? ", she countered.

Haschel chuckled, " I'll get Dart to wake you up. Trust me. The way he wake's people up is not pleasant.... "

" How so? "

" Let's just say...water...cold.... "

Claire laughed, " He wouldn't dare do that to his poor mother, now would he? "

Haschel shrugged, " He did it to me...so what would stop him from doing it to you? "

Claire opened both her eyes and frowned, " I suppose you're right. I'll just sit here, enjoying the peace and quiet.... "

Haschel opened his mouth to say something, but another loud and desperate voice broke out through the air, " Mother! "

Claire bolted up in her chair and ran to the front door, with Haschel at her heels. They both watched as Dart ran as fast as he could with a girl in his arms. Haschel pushed past Claire and ran to the boy, " What happened? "

Dart shook his head and nodded over to his mother, " We have to get her to bring her back.... "

Haschel looked down at the deathly pale face of Shana and he felt his heart skip a beat, " Did you say...b-bring her back? "

Dart nodded as he took the stairs to the house two at a time, " Yes.... "

Claire opened the door wider and moved to the side so Dart could move into the room. She looked around and then pointed to the bedroom, " There! Quick. Dad...grab me some clothes, warm water, and my sewing kit... "

Haschel nodded and took off. Dart hurried to the bedroom and then gently laid Shana down onto the bed. He looked at his mother as she brushed past him to check for a pulse. Claire shook her head sadly. She reached down with two hands and placed them one over the other over Shana's heart.

Claire took a deep breath and began to push down quickly and hard. Dart watched and licked his lips, " M-mother...is she going to be alright....? "

Claire ignored him and focused on the girl laying under her hands. Haschel returned with the stuff that his daughter had asked for. He placed them on the nightstand beside the bed and backed up, watching from the far wall in the room, with his arms crossed over his chest.

Dart felt something in his heart that made it ache as he watched Shana's body jerk with every thrust that his mother gave to her heart. Something snapped in him and he quickly pushed his mother to the side. Dart placed his own hands over her heart and began to push down harder then his mother had, trying with all he had.

Claire backed away from the bed and from her son to stand beside her father. Haschel placed an arm around her shoulders and pulled her close, " It'll be alright.... "

Dart closed his eyes as he continued to try and pump Shana's heart back to life. He pictured him and Shana when they were little, playing or fighting. He didn't want to lose her. Not this way, not now. She was the only one who understood him and his ways.

Dart felt something warm sting his eyes and he heard himself sniffled lightly as a tear slid down his cheek and fell onto Shana's bottom lip. Claire shook her head and walked away from her father. She walked over to Dart and placed a light hand on his shoulder. Dart shrugged it off and continued to push down.

" She's gone, Dart....it's been over five minutes...she'd have premanent brain damage by now... ", Claire mumbled quietly.

Dart shook his head, " I'm not going to believe it. She's not gone. She's strong and she will live! "

Claire sighed in defeat and turned to leave the room. Dart felt another tear slid down his cheek and he opened his eyes to watch as it hit Shana's bottom lip again. He felt something move under his hands and he quickly pulled his hands up. Dart looked at Shana's face and watched as her lips parted, and as her eyelids fluttered open slowly.

Warm brown eyes met his dark ones and he sat down on the bed beside her. Shana blinked and she sucked in a deep breath, letting it out as a quiet groan. Dart sighed in relief and he reached up to wipe away the tears before Shana could see them.

Shana quickly brought a hand up and she lightly grabbed his wrist. She looked into his eyes, " D-dart? What's wrong? Why are you crying? ", her soft voice was slightly hoarse.

Dart sighed lightly and shook his head, " I...I was scared... ", he replied lightly as he bowed his head in shame.

Shana blinked and a small smile came to her lips, " Why? Scare of what? "

" Of losing....you.... ", He whispered. ' What am I saying? '

" Y-you didn't lose me...I'm still here.... "

Dart nodded and lifted his head to looked at her, " I know...now you are... "

Shana cocked her head to the side and her hand slid from his wrist to gently stroke his cheek, " You're never going to lose me, Dart... "

Dart brought a hand up and he covered her hand with his. He squeezed it gently and nodded, " You promise? "

Shana nodded, " Of course! "

Dart smiled lightly and then brought her hand to his lips. He kissed it softly and held it there while he spoke, inhaling the flowery scent of her skin, " Don't go and break this promise, Shana.....please, say you won't. "

Shana's lower lip trembled and she sat up quickly. Her hand slid from his mouth to slid around his neck and link with her other arm as she hugged him hard, " I promise you that too, Dart. ", she whispered into his ear.

Dart hugged her hard, not letting her go once, as if afraid of letting her go, " Oh, Shana.... ", he groaned lightly as he buried his face into the small and delicate curve of her neck.

Shana winced and Haschel noticed this. He walked out of the room to fetch Claire. Shana sighed lightly and gently ran her fingers of her uninjured hand through his hair, " It's going to be alright, Dart... "

Dart nodded and then pulled away to look at her. His eyes searched her face and he saw her blush lightly. Dart chuckled and then stood up from the bed. He sighed, " I think it would be best if you -- "

" Got that hand of yours stitched up, Shana... ", Claire cut her son off from the doorway as she walked into the room.

Shana looked at Claire and frowned, " Stitched up? "

Claire nodded and pushed past her son, " Yes....you were cut pretty bad. "

" Oh... "

Claire looked at Dart and nodded, " I think it's time for you to leave, mister.... "

Dart sighed and then shrugged lightly as he left the room in silence. Haschel followed him, " What's wrong, Dart? "

Dart shook his head, " Nothing.... ", he muttered.

Haschel shook his own head, " That's not true, my boy. You were crying in there. Were you afraid of losing her? "

Dart stopped and then shrugged as he scratched the back of his neck, " Haschel...have you ever been scared in your life? So scared that it...hurts? "

Haschel nodded, " Yes. When your mother disappeared, Dart.... "

" Then....that was what I was feeling back in there when we were trying to get her back.... "

" I noticed. This isn't like you, Dart...to go and...show your feelings for people. Not straight out in the open I mean... "

Dart shrugged, " I know....it was odd. I was...there was something inside of me when I was trying to bring her back that was scaring me... "

Haschel lifted an eyebrow and frowned, " Like what? "

" That fact that I would've lost her forever. Like I was never going to see her smiling face ever again, her sparklig eyes...everything. That's when I broke down. We've been friends since we were little and I don't....know... "

" I understand. You shouldn't feel ashamed of these feelings, Dart. It's normal.... ", Haschel reminded him lightly.

Dart nodded, " I know, I know. It's just that, Shana has never seen me break down like that.... "

Haschel turned his back and began to make his way back towards the bedroom, " There will be more times in the future when she's going to see you like this, Dart. You should be prepared.... "

Dart spun around to face him, but he was nowhere to be seen. Dart was confused, ' What did he just mean? Was he talking about my dreams...or about what the voice was telling me? Is this just the beginning of it all? '

***

" The time is near, Danilo? Is it time yet for them to perish? "

" No... only the girl will perish. It was his fault that he didn't get the job done right with her last night. His mission was to plant the seed of death within the girl so she could bring forth another species of Dragoons... "

" What kind would that be? "

" The Dark Dragoon's are the bringers of death... nothing more, nothing less. They do not save lives, they only take them... "

***

Shana winced and clamped her eyes shut as she felt the needle prick her skin and then begin to draw the torn skin back together. She opened an eye to find Dart's mother deep in concentration as she bent over her work; Shana's hand and tried to finish it quickly.

Claire pulled the needle through one last time before taking the thread into her mouth and biting down on it, ripping it from the needle. She quickly tied the strings into a tight knot and then lifted her head to meet Shana's wondering gaze.

" Is something the matter, Shana? "

Shana blinked and then shook her head as she looked down at the bed, " No... I was just wondering about Dart... that's all. Thank you for fixing my hand, Claire... "

Claire smiled motherly and nodded as she gave Shana's shoulder a gentle, and tender pat, " It'll be alright, Shana. Don't you worry... Dart will come to his sense one of these days and marry you... "

Shana felt her cheeks go warm and she ducked her head, " Plese... he'll never come to his senses about me. It's like I don't even exsist to him. It's like I'm still his little sisterly figure. I hate it! I want something more then being just a little sister.... "

Claire blinked and stared at Shana, completely surprised from the sudden outburst, " W-well... that was something new, Shana. I never knew you cared THAT much for Dart... ", she mumbled lightly, lowering her head before getting up from the chair to carrying her medical supplies to the closet.

Shana bit her lip and shook her head, " It's just so hard having to go through life with him... thinking of you as only being like a little sister. It's so hard to deal with... I just might as well leave and find life in some other country where other men would appreciate me for who I really am... and not just some.. sisterly figure. ", she mumbled herself as she stared down at the nicely down stitches.

Claire bit her lip and sighed as she made her way back to the bedside. She sat down on the chair and reached out to grasp Shana's good hand tightly, " Don't you worry, dear... it'll all work out in time... don't give up on faith. Haschel never did and look what had happened... he found me... we found each other again. Perhaps you and Dart will be able to do that as well... just give it time. "