Dalet grumbled to himself as he walked along the lake's edge.
'The nerve of him calling my hair 'prissy'. At least it doesn't look like a
sheep is attacking my head,' He reached up and twisted a strand of his wet hair
around his finger. The Dragon Slayer had left the lake a few minutes after
Gatti had. Clean and dressed, Dalet decided to go find the other. He knew the
ash-blond Slayer had gone looking for that replacement boy. Dalet's eyes
narrowed. Ah, yes... the replacement. Involuntarily, his fist clenched.
Lord Folken had no right to get that... that red-haired stick to replace
Migel.
Migel. The best guymelef pilot Dalet had ever seen... his lightly tanned
skin... his chestnut-coloured hair parted at one side, half falling across his
grey-green eyes...
Dalet's thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a cry. Delicately raising a brow,
he went towards the sound. He moved through the underbrush and, parting two
shrubs, came upon two figures in a smaller section of the lake. He recognized
that Highlander's fiery hair at once, though had to squint to recognize Gatti,
who was scrubbing himself with soap. Dalet noticed they were talking, and
strained to hear what was being said. He was about to walk over when he noticed
the thin boy move closer to Gatti. Dalet stood frozen in his place as he saw
the new Dragon Slayer place his hand along Gatti's face, and...
What the...!? His eyes widened in surprise as Shanti slightly tilted his
head and placed his mouth to Gatti's.
They're... kissing! For what seemed like an eternity, Dalet watched
their lips press together, the Highlander's pale fingers moving along Gatti's
jaw line, until at last Gatti opened his eyes and broke their embrace. They
seemed to be talking again, but Dalet did not hear what they were saying. He
was furiously walking away from them, away from that scene. His features
twisted into a snarl.
I see that bastard has already weaseled his way into our ranks... how dare
he. He angrily kicked a stone.
How dare he.
***
Shanti knelt back down into the water, and quietly looked at Gatti. He seemed
to be fighting an inner battle with himself, his fingers still on his lips. The
Highlander sighed.
I shouldn't have kissed him.
'Gatti?'
'All this time... they've been about you,' Gatti shook his head slowly. 'I only
dreamed when you were... when you were in my room,' He looked up at the
Highlander, searching his, or rather, her eyes for an answer. 'Why me?'
'That night,' Shanti's hand went involuntarily to her throat. 'That night when
I was attacked... I could only remember hearing you,' Gatti could see her
shivering, even in the warm water. 'And afterwards, having you see me... seeing
if I was alright,' Shanti looked as if she would say more, but stopped herself.
She glanced away and got a far-away look in her eyes. As Gatti sat back into
his own thoughts, he idly noticed the two gold rings in her ear.
How could I not have noticed? Gatti chewed on the inside of his cheek. It
all seems so blindingly there, and yet... I can't tell anyone. I won't. But, He
glanced at her, seeing those hazel eyes turn and focus on him.
How long will this stay a secret?
'We should get out... the clouds look like they will burst soon.' Shanti
glanced upward as dark clouds were rapidly replacing the setting sun. She waded
out of the water to the shore and went to dry herself off. Gatti looked away.
How long will I be able to keep up this pretence? The boy followed
moments afterwards, keeping his back to Shanti as he towelled off and dressed.
He snuck a glance behind him, and saw the girl in the Dragon Slayer's uniform
pants, wrapping the tan bandages around her chest with some difficulty. Gatti
moved up quietly behind the Slayer and moved her long hair out of the way. He
took the roll of cloth from her hand and finished wrapping it around her upper
torso without a word. Shanti picked up her jacket and put it on as the first
raindrops began to fall from the sky. The two Dragon Slayers moved under a
tree's sheltering branches as the rain began to fall in torrents. Gatti noticed
raindrops falling down Shanti's shoulder armour, and saw she was letting him
have the small patch of dry ground. He reached out and put his hand on her
waist, pulling her closer to him. The flecked eyes blinked in surprise.
'Gatti, when we're around the others, you must act as if you have heard
nothing. Even a glance could give everything away.' Gatti nodded his ash-blond
head, and took his hand off her waist.
'Sorry,'
*****
Mikyla watched the scene unfold, her mind reeling in confusion. Dante knelt
down beside Migel's bed and shakily poked his arm. Migel got an annoyed look
and hit his hand away, then reached for a piece of paper.
'I can't believe it,' Dante shook his head in amazement. 'Master Dilandau
said... we all... we had a memorial for you,'
Finding a pen, the 'dead' Slayer scratched out some symbols, and showed the
paper to Dante.
'Did you miss me?' Dante's body slackened in exasperation. 'Dah!
Understatement of the year!' Migel grinned, making the other Slayer cringe
slightly at the way the tube in his mouth moved. 'When's that coming out?'
Mikyla moved up behind Dante, put her arms around him and rested her head on
his shoulder.
'In a couple weeks, I think. As long as he gets plenty of rest, he should be
fine.' Migel forced a delighted expression, although for some reason Mikyla's
actions annoyed him. He looked away as Dante turned his head to kiss the girl.
Suddenly there was a loud knock at the front door of the clinic, and voice was
yelling. Mikyla broke the kiss and looked up. 'Who could that be...?' Giving
the dark-eyed Slayer a quick peck on the cheek, Mikyla stood up and left the
room to answer the door. Dante had a content smile on his face, which annoyed
Migel even further.
'What will Master Dilandau say, when he finds out you're alive? And Dalet, and
Guimel, and,' he suddenly dropped off as he heard Mikyla raise her voice. The
other voice was shouting something at her. 'Hold on, Migel.' As Dante stood up
and left, the chestnut-haired Migel had a bad feeling. However, before he could
do anything, the Slayer had left the room.
'I don't know what you're talking about!!' Mikyla yelled at the large Freid
soldier in front of her. A second soldier was trying to get in when Dante
appeared.
'What's going on?' he asked conversationally as Mikyla went to him, glaring at
the soldier.
'We have reason to believe this clinic is harbouring a Zaibach spy!' Before
Dante could give a reply, the second soldier noticed the blue armour at his
feet. The soldier casually walked over to the boy, then ripped the cloak from
him, exposing his uniform. 'Well, what have we here...?' The Dragon Slayer
muttered a curse and reached for his sword, only to be hit over the head by the
second soldier. Mikyla cried out as he fell to the floor in a daze. A third
soldier entered and the two grabbed the inert Dragon Slayer. The first soldier
grabbed Mikyla.
'You're coming with us, girl.' Mikyla struggled and protested, beating the
soldier until he got fed up and hit her over the head as well. 'Bring them both
to the palace. We'll put them in the dungeon and question them.'
*****
Gatti watched as Shanti leaned back against the trunk of the tree. The
grey-eyed Slayer wanted so much to ease the tension that he could feel building
between them. The silence was making him nervous.
'What are you thinking?' he asked, leaning on his elbow beside her. Shanti's
eyes were glazed over; she was off in her world again. At Gatti's gentle
insistence she snapped back to reality and answered.
'What's going to happen now, Gatti? What if the others find out? Master
Dilandau will kill me!' Gatti tilted her chin to face him with his hand.
'No one will find out. I will keep your secret until I die.' he said, giving a
soft smile. Suddenly, a flash of lightning streaked across the sky. Shanti gave
a startled cry as the loud, booming thunder followed a few seconds later. Gatti
suddenly found himself holding the edgy Slayer close to him. She smells
nice.
'Gatti... I think-' the Highlander started.
'Don't think. Just be still.' Gatti cut her off. He didn't want to move, barely
daring to breathe, lest the slightest movement would make her realize her
closeness. No... he had to stop thinking like that. 'Can I ask you something?'
he said quietly.
'You just did.' A small smirk appeared on the corner of her mouth.
'Alright...another question, then. Why did you do it?' Noticing her puzzled
expression, he continued. 'Why did you pretend like this?' There was a long
pause, and Gatti thought the red-haired girl hadn't heard him. He went to
repeat his question when she spoke.
'Perhaps...' The grey-eyed boy had to strain to hear the quiet voice over the
rain and distant rumble of thunder. 'Perhaps one day I will tell you.' Gatti
gave a small sigh of frustration, but he wouldn't press. He couldn't risk
ruining the moment... ruining that bond they shared - were sharing.
Moments passed in silence, then without a word the female Slayer sat down,
leaning against the tree trunk.
'This rain looks like it plans to stay a while,' the last ribbon of crimson lay
on the horizon as the sun disappeared. 'Might as well get comfortable.' Gatti
blinked and slid down the trunk beside the other. Their shoulder-armour barely
touched, and the boy could see the other's armour getting wet.
'Look, if you want to get comfortable, you have to get out of the rain.' At
this point, Gatti didn't care what Shanti was, or what she was thinking. She
was getting wet and, by the way she set her jaw, being stubborn. When she
didn't make any effort to move, Gatti leaned over and dragged her closer to
him.
'Hey!'
'I'm not letting you get sick!' His grey eyes were stormy as he snapped at her.
'I don't care how tough you think you are, I-' he broke off as he saw the
expression in her eyes. Shaking his head, he softened his voice. 'Look, it's
going to be a long night. You should try to sleep.' As he spoke he made himself
comfortable against the rough bark. Shanti stared hard at him, then moved ever
so slightly closer and settled down against the tree. The sun had completely
disappeared, and the moonlight struggled to pierce the dark clouds. The two sat
in silence as the rain fell like a waterfall from the sky. As a cold wind
whistled around them, Gatti became aware of the Highlander shivering.
Why must you be so difficult? He reached out and pulled her closer to
him. Shanti resisted until another wind arose, making a shiver move violently
through her body. With a sigh, she let Gatti pull her closer, and curled up
into a tight ball.
It's not as if I feel for her, right? The ash-blond boy squirmed around
to get comfortable, moving Shanti's head onto his chest so her armour wouldn't
poke him.
How do I act with a girl around? I've forgotten how. He waited in
silence, listening to the rain until he could feel the other's breathing grow
soft and steady. Gatti looked down at the sleeping Dragon Slayer.
She's my friend, that's all. I didn't feel anything for her when I didn't
know what she was. Why should it change? And yet... The Slayer found
himself looking at the top of her head. Slowly, hardly daring to breathe, he
raised his hand and began to softly stroke her hastily braided, slightly damp
hair. When she didn't react, he relaxed and closed his eyes to fall asleep.
I can't let what feelings I might have get in the way, for Shanti's sake.
From beside him, the red-haired Dragon Slayer closed her eyes again, a faint
smile softening her features.
*****
'Oww... my head,' an unhappy Dragon Slayer checked his head for bumps, then
checked his hair for stray strands. He looked around to see himself in a dark,
dirty cell. A rat scurried across the stone floor and into a hall.
Okay... it's dirty in here... there's a rat... what should I do? he
thought to himself. He then did what anyone of his rank, skill and mind would do.
He whined. 'LEMME OUT OF HERE!'
'Heey, keep it down, will you? I think a herd of dragons walked over my head,'
Dante looked around to the source of the voice and saw that Mikyla crouched in
the cell next to him. He moved over to the stone wall dividing them and stuck
his arm through the bars. Mikyla reached out for his outstretched hand, and
their fingertips touched.
'I'm sorry that this happened, 'Ky, it's my fault. I shouldn't have come to
visit you,' Mikyla gave him a sour look from her side of the wall.
'I would rather be in a cell the rest of my life for seeing you than to walk
free and never see you again.' She reached and stretched as far as she could so
she could hold his hand. 'We'll get out of here soon, don't worry.' Dante
stretched as well, pressing against the stone wall until he could grasp her
hand. They stayed that way, holding each other's hands until Dante heard
footsteps coming their way. He swerved his head to look over his shoulder and
saw a cruel-looking man, two guards on either side of him, staring down at him.
'The Zaibach spy is to come with me for questioning.' Mikyla didn't like the
sound of his voice, or the way he was looking at Dante.
'He wasn't doing anything wrong!' she protested. The man glared at her, and
kicked at their hands. Mikyla yelped as her fingers were crushed into the stone
wall. Dante broke their grasp and stood up in his cell. He fixed the three men
before him with a haughty glare. As the girl nursed her hand, she heard the
door being opened and Dante being forced out of his cell. The two guards held
their spears level to the Dragon Slayer's throat and marched him down the hall.
As he passed Mikyla's cell, he gave her a reassuring smile, and mouthed 'I love
you!' with a wink as if he were just going out to have a bit of a run and would
be back soon. Mikyla returned his smile weakly, and they kept their eyes on
each other until Dante was pulled around a corner. Mikyla prayed he would just
tell them what they wanted; she knew the methods the Friedans would use to get
what they wanted out of him. A patient of her mother's, a newly released
prisoner, had told her once.
He had died that very night.
***
Dante was thrown into a dark, foreboding room. The two soldiers pounced upon
him and roughly pulled his hands above his head, where they were tied to a
hanging rope, leaving his sides exposed.
'He'll be just as hard the other one. I recognize the uniform...he's one of
those elite 'Dragon Slayers'.' he heard a guard say. The leader, 'the ugly one'
Dante decided to dub him, snorted.
'Seeing as how we don't have a doppelganger to hypnotize him, we'll have to try
the old-fashioned way. Now, then, Zaibach spy,' Dante noticed the cruel voice
held an almost excited tinge to it. 'What were you doing in Freid, hm?' Tossing
his dark red bangs, the Dragon Slayer looked in the direction of the voice with
the most condescending look he could muster. He was a Dragon Slayer, commanded
by Dilandau Albatou. He would die before he spoke.
The voice came again, this time more coldly. 'I asked you a question, boy.'
Dante looked off into space, refusing to speak. Suddenly he heard a crack as
something snapped by his head, inches away from his ear. A whip!
'Answer me, idiot boy! Where are your superiors hiding?' The cord cracked again,
a mere centimetres away from his other ear. Dante kept up his haughty
expression, his loyalty to his master keeping him from being too afraid. He
could sense the ugly man's frustration as a guard muttered something to him.
'I see your tongue needs a bit of loosening up.'
CRACK!
Dante's eyes widened as he felt the whip bite into his exposed sides. Although
the leather of his uniform gave some form of protection, it still hurt. With a
sharp intake of breath, the Slayer waited for the pain to die down. Dante
glared at him with dark eyes.
CRACK!
The cord bit into him again. He shuddered as a new wave of pain went through
him. The whip held tightly in his hand, the man went over to the Slayer, so
close to him their noses almost touched. Dante looked in the other's eyes and
saw bloodlust.
'Still unwilling to talk, boy?' he said mockingly. Dante glared, inhaled deeply
and spat right in his face. The ugly man recoiled in disgust, wiping the spit
off his face and swearing at the boy. Then he looked at the Slayer with an
expression that chilled Dante to the bone.
'Strip him.' he ordered, his voice dangerously soft. The two guards unzipped
the dark-eyed Slayer's jacket and tried to rip it off his body, making Dante
winced as the tough fabric cut into his skin. One guard took his spear and
slashed at the leather until at last the jacket fell in pieces from Dante's
body, leaving it from the elbows to the waist bare.
Oh, shitohshitohshitohshi-
CRACK!
'Daaaaaaah!!' Dante looked down at the bright red line forming across his
chest. It felt like his body was on fire - it stung, it throbbed, it HURT.
Dante clenched his fists, but continued to say nothing. Even as the whip bit
into him again, and again.
Dante closed his eyes tightly and thought about Mikyla.
***
Mikyla paced around her cell, hoping the noise of her footsteps would drown out
the muffled cries she could hear.
Where is he? What if he's... She angrily pushed that thought out of her
mind. He can't be dead; they can't kill a Zaibach soldier, it would break
the treaty. Wouldn't it?
Her head snapped up as she heard a long, agonized scream. Mikyla knelt down
in a darkened corner and prayed very, very hard. Seconds after her prayer was
finished, she heard the door to the hall open, and held her breath. Rushing up
the bars, she tried to see who was coming.
'Can't believe he lasted that long,'
'Yeah, I've never seen anybody endure that,' she could hear guard's voices. She
could hear them getting closer and closer until...
'Dante!' The guards looked up at her. She looked at them pleadingly. 'Please,
please... put him in my cell,' One guard looked at the other, and shrugged.
They opened the door to her cell, and put their prisoner in, tossing in his
torn jacket after him. Locking the door, the two left. Mikyla stared, horrified
at the bleeding body before her. Angry lines criss-crossed all over his raw,
bare skin, blood seeping through each cut. He looked dead.
'What have they done to you...?' Moving over to the broken boy, she carefully
held him in her arms, ignoring the blood that stained her white coat. His face
was scrunched up in an expression of pure pain, his eyes shut tightly. His
chest rose and fell in ragged gasps. Mikyla stroked his face, softly talking to
him until his eyes opened. Tears spilled down his temples as he looked up at
her, trying to speak. 'Ssh...' Tears springing to her own dark eyes, Mikyla
kissed him and rocked him gently. 'It's alright, my love... it's over,'
Managing a tiny smile, the Dragon Slayer's eyes closed and his form went limp.
Numb, Mikyla mechanically took a ripped piece of fabric and began dabbing away
at the bleeding wounds. Rage was building up inside her.
How could anyone do this?
Begging a guard to let her have some clean water, Mikyla looked down at the
boy. Memories of seeing that newly released prisoner sprung to her mind, no
matter how hard she tried to ignore them.
Don't die... please don't die!
*****
Gatti felt sunlight on his eyes, and moved his head into shade. Was it morning
already? Giving a yawn, the ash-blond Slayer kept his eyes closed as he thought
about the other day... learning Shanti's secret... getting kissed...
Was it a dream? he wondered to himself. Feeling a weight on his chest,
Gatti decided it wasn't. He moved his fingers and felt the soft hair of the other
through the fabric. No, it wasn't a dream. He had fallen asleep, Shanti curled
up close beside him with her head on his chest. One grey eye opened in a slit
to peer down at the sleeping form by him. Definitely not a dream. Gatti closed
his eye and gave a content sigh as he gently began to pet her hair again. The
boy suddenly became aware of her waking up and stretching, then giving a
startled curse. Furrowing his brow, Gatti suddenly also became aware of another
presence. His opened his eyes, and echoed Shanti's curse.
Somebody was standing there, looking down at them.