On the street corner, I loved you
You were just... smiling
Looking at me mysteriously
Why in this empty room
Is my body shaking?
Tell me...
-Gackt
Tenkuu no Ryuugekitai - Kono Dare mo Inai Heya De
Why had he stayed?
Gatti turned the thought over in his mind again and again. The shock of
seeing his friend (...he was my friend...) lying amongst the ruins of
the jewellery, his red fur glittering with drops of crystal and blood, had all
but worn off. He had mourned, yes, buried the fox in the soil of the country he
so loved. But now Gatti was beyond feeling grief, instead torturing himself by
going over the minute details of when he and the vendor had first met. The old
fox was so generous, even aiding him - a Zaibach soldier, and for what? Did he
know death awaited him?
Another thought struck the young soldier, and he mused in morbid fascination
over who had killed the beast-man. Master Dilandau, perhaps? Sweeping through
mercilessly behind a shield of flame, burning everything around... or was it
Shesta? Or Dalet? Or some other comrade whose guymelef crushed anything before
it?
Or it was me...he mused. Was I the one who killed him, after the
kindness he had shown me? Gatti's face twisted ironically, the expression
inscrutable. It was easy to disassociate with those he and his comrades
destroyed so pitilessly. They were the enemy, and as such were to be crushed.
They didn't think, or feel, or have families who loved them, or show kindness
to strangers... the Enemy is faceless, and it wants to kill you.
It was either kill or be killed, Gatti thought feverishly. The fox, his
countrymen wanted him dead. He had to defend himself, or he'd be dead. Right?
The box poked sharply into his thigh. Gatti felt himself weakening, and the familiar prickling in his eyes. How many others out there were like the fox? How many of them had he killed in the name of Zaibach?
'Gatti?' Her voice interrupted softly, calming his racing thoughts. 'You're so quiet... are you still thinking about...?' He could imagine Shanti biting her pale lip and wondering if she should have spoken.
'No,' he responded, his voice cracking and raspy. 'No, I was just thinking about other stuff,'
'Oh. Okay, then.' The comm-link fell silent, and his mouth twitched in a stony smile. She was worried about him. It felt... nice to be worried about. As they pulled into the hangar, he thought darkly if the fox-man had someone to worry about him.
'We're home,' Guimel commented unnecessarily. As Shanti's Alseides unit entered the hangar, Gatti climbed out of his cockpit. The Dragon Slayers swarmed about him as they headed down the catwalk towards the door, laughing and giving animation details of how they had single-handedly defeated the entire Freidan army. Standing against the black iron railing, he watched in brooding silence as the cockpit of Shanti's guymelef opened, and she stepped out. Like the rest of them, her hair was plastered to her forehead with sweat. Gatti felt a twinge in the pit of his stomach as she tossed her head, sending small droplets adrift from her face. Raising her hand, the Highlander delicately wiped the remaining moisture from her forehead, and suddenly looked up at Gatti. The twinge turned into a faint churning as she smiled at him, and walked up the catwalk towards him.
'Well. That was interesting,' she said offhandedly, as if destroying an entire country was an everyday occurance. Then again... it usually was.
'You get used to it.' Gatti replied, the rasping in his voice making his
words sound rough. Shanti gave him an odd look - he was too worn out to try and
decipher it - and then asked where the showers were. He gave a short laugh.
'Surely you aren't going to have one now?' he asked in disbelief.
'And why not? You could use a shower as well, mate,' she said, starting to walk towards the door. Gatti followed, ignoring her last remark, and said,
'But everyone else is in there! You can't go in there with a dozen naked males crawling about!' Ah, the joys of a shared washroom...
'Yes... might cause a little bit of confusion, wouldn't it?' Shanti mused, turning the corner and heading straight towards the sound of rushing water. She was in the mood where Gatti couldn't tell if she was being serious or not. It scared him.
'You're joking!' he choked. 'They'd... they'd all stare!' They were getting far too close to the showers now.
'Yes... yes, I'd expect so,' And before he could stop her, Shanti marched straight through the door. She moved swiftly down the rows of lockers, her boots clicking on the tiled floor. Most of the others didn't give the Highland 'boy' a second glance, though Shanti did receive some strange looks when he reached into a spray of water, fully clothed, and grabbed a bar of soap. Guimel, his curly hair full of bubbles, raised his eyebrow.
'Usually people take their clothes off before they get wet,' he said sarcastically. Shanti, still fully underneath the showerhead, gave him a manic grin and shrugged.
'Just needed some soap,' the Highlander said, and headed towards the door. Not a moment too soon! Gatti breathed a sigh of relief, as the wet leather of Shanti's uniform was beginning to get a bit too snug on her body.
'Aren't you gonna have a shower?' Shesta said, bent over and rubbing his blond hair vigorously with a towel. With one eye making sure Shanti had left, Gatti nodded and began to strip down.
***
'You are INSANE!' Gatti raged from the other side of the sheet. Shanti sighed, and reached for the shampoo Gatti had so nicely brought for her. She had pulled the bedsheet across the two walls in the far corner of the room, and there had set up a make-shift shower curtain. Usually she would sneak a shower late at night, but she was far too disgusting to wait another few hours, and had thus filled up a large bowl with water, found a cloth and settled for a sponge-bath. Shanti lathered the sweet-smelling liquid into a small mountain of white bubbles, and ran her hands through her blood-red hair, only half-listening to Gatti's reprimands.
'Why are you so upset? No one saw...'
'It's the PRINCIPLE of the point! Girls DON'T go into a boy's showers! Especially when it's full of... of...'
'Boys?'
'Exactly.' Gatti crossed his arms indignantly, getting the feeling she was not listening. His suspicions were confirmed when she started humming, the notes intertwined with the splashing water that rinsed the soap from her hair. With a resigned sigh, he went over to the sopping pile of her uniform, and hung it over the back of a chair where it dripped onto the hard stone floor.
'It's not like there was much to see, anyhoo. Towel, please,' Shanti commented suddenly. Gatti felt his cheek flame red as he handed her a towel, and innocently asked what she meant. The girl ignored him, and told him to turn around. Obliging, he did so and heard her pad over to the wardrobe, open it, move through a few hangers - 'Not much to wear around here, is there?' - and step back to behind the sheet.
'I'll take you shopping, then,' Gatti said over the rustling of fabric. He understood her annoyance; they were supplied a few clothes and four outfits - three pairs of the uniform (just in case one got dirty, he assumed), and a more diplomatic uniform. It was almost exactly like the usual blue armor and leather, save for a white, sleeveless robe that fitted over the leather, clasping at the waist, and embroidered with dark blue and gold dragon motifs. Gatti thought it was quite useless - there had never been an occasion when they'd had to dress up (Master Dilandau wasn't the diplomatic type).
'Shopping? I thought you never had days off. You can turn around,'
'We don't, really,' Gatti peered over his shoulder as she finished wrapping the bandages around her upper body, clad in black pants and a towel around her head. 'Sometimes when the Vione's landed we get sent out for 'scouting' duty. I heard that tonight we'll be docking in Asturia to resupply, since Lord Folken wants to see where the Crusade is taking the Duke,'
'Ah,' came the muffled reply as Shanti pulled a loose black shirt over her head. She undid the towel from her head and, Gatti's comb in hand, sat down on his bed and began a vicious battle with her hair. The butterflies in his stomach returned as he watched for a few moments, then, a spontaneous urge became apparent. He sat down beside her, and mumbled his request. Shanti asked him to speak louder, and he repeated with a growing heat in his face,
'Can I, uh... I'll comb it for you. If you want, I mean,' So says the
mighty soldier Gatti... The girl blinked, a tinge appearing in her cheeks
as she handed him the comb and sat cross-legged with her back to him. Gently
Gatti ran the comb through her damp hair, patiently untangling the knots that
hid in the long strands. As he fought the tangles, he heard Shanti give a
contented sigh; thinking if she were a cat she'd be purring. He worked in
silence, both of them retreating into their own thoughts, and enjoying the
moment. The ash-blond boy shifted positions, and was reminded of the box
sitting maddeningly in his pocket. A beam of light from the setting sun shone
through the window, resting upon each strand of gleaming hair he fervently
worked at. Had he not been preoccupied with deeper concerns, Gatti would have
been amused at how picturesque the sun was being. However, the box was burning
a hole through his pocket.
'So, Shanti... can I ask you something?' His stomach churned nervously, and he hoped
the waver in his voice wasn't too obvious.
'Mm?'
'Have you ever thought about... you know... the future at all?' Oh, how original. 'The future'. The butterflies were having a field day in the pit of his stomach.
'What do you mean?' Shanti blinked, hoping her voice sounded innocent. She wasn't experienced in such things, but something told her a boy didn't talk about 'the future' just because he was bored.
'Well, you know...' he stammered as one butterfly played leapfrog with another. 'Like, what you're going to do when the war's over.' Her hair was so combed out it would most likely never tangle again, but he continued to comb it nervously. Abstractedly he noticed her hair was actually quite wavy, and it smelled quite lovely...
'Can't say that I have,' she replied, taking the comb gently from him and splitting her hair into three strands to braid.
'Oh.' Gatti stated lamely. Somehow this wasn't going exactly as he had planned. But then again... he hadn't planned. Shanti finished plaiting over her shoulder, and tied it.
'Why do you ask?' She turned, looking at him with her head tilted curiously. The sunlight caught her eyes, fiercely illuminating one part of the green and gold, and casting the rest into the shadow of her long eyelashes. Gatti felt a rogue butterfly soar into his heart, and pang it cheekily.
'Er, no reason. Just wondering.'
'Ah.' In a verbal deadlock, the pair stared at each other in an uncomfortable silence. Shanti noticed for the first time how beautiful his eyes were; a dark stormcloud with lightening flashes of lighter grey, and just a hint of blue sea. Stop being silly... Shanti chided herself as the same eyes flickered, and closed. In an instant his lips were against her own, and she felt her own set of butterflies flutter around in her stomach. They had kissed before; a quick peck before going to their duties, or for meals, and yet this time was different. It seemed also reminiscent of when she kissed him at the lake, and felt that strange emotion fill her. His fingertips lighted upon her cheek, and she felt as if she would melt against his touch. He broke the kiss, pulling back with a small smile gracing his features. He looked into her eyes with an unfamiliar warmth, and just as he leaned forward once again, she heard him breathe something that made her heart stop in shock,
'I love you...'
*****
'Hey, 'Ky? Am I gonna live?' Her black eyes widened, and she almost dropped her spoon as she looked over at the dejected body of her love.
'What makes you ask such a thing?' Mikyla asked, her voice strained. She set her bowl of stew to the side, having lost all interest in it, and tried to preoccupy herself with stoking the fire that licked at the bottom of the pot set over it. Why is he asking me this?
'Nothin'...' Dante gave a sort of resigned sigh, as if her reply had
answered some unspoken question, giving the girl the feeling she had failed
some sort of test. Bringing her knees to her chest, Mikyla stared at the
burning, weaving flames, and thought about Freid - her beloved country, reduced
to piles of broken stone and ashes. She had no more tears left to cry. She,
Dante, and Migel were the only survivors of the 'fate of all who are born in
Freid'.
Where was Migel? Mikyla looked around for the boy, listened for his uneven
footsteps, and found no trace of him. He had said he was going to check out the
perimeter to try and determine their present location (soldier-Migel speak for
'I'm going for a walk'), but that was an hour ago.
Oh, well. she thought. His fault if his supper's cold. On a whim
the girl crawled over to Dante, who Migel had propped up against a rock, and
sat beside him. Sweeping a couple deep violet dreadlocks behind her ear, she
rested her head carefully on his shoulder. Dante weakly lifted his hand and put
it around her shoulders, drawing her closer to him.
'Love you baby,' His poor 'Kyla. She'd been through so much, losing her home, her family... would she lose him now as well? Dante blew at the dark red strands that curtained his black eyes. Somehow he had accepted the fact he was dying. In each Dragon Slayer's mind they were immortal, and now here he was - dying. The boy had hoped he would die in some glorious battle, and now he only wished he could see his comrades again before he died. Just hang on until Gigas... Gatti will come to bring us back to the Vione.
'Love you too,' The girl snuggled up closer against him, causing a few of
his countless wounds to flare up sharply. They were bleeding more often, and it
was getting harder to stop the bleeding. Staying awake became an impossible
task nowadays, but he was afraid that he wouldn't wake up from one of his many
naps, and thus kept himself awake until his body shut down, eyes open or not.
Several minutes passed in silence, the crackling of the fire and the bubbling
of the stew the only sound to fill their ears. Dante found himself becoming
drowsy, and sluggishly tried to think of something to keep himself up.
''Ky? What d'ya say we get married?' Well. That surely got his heart beating! Again there was a very long silence, until,
'Maybe you should get some sleep,'.
'I'm serious,' he persisted, looking down at her. Mikyla slowly lifted her head to look into his eyes, her gaze scrutinizing to see if there was a spark in his eye that would tell her he was kidding, and finding none. 'If I asked you, would you marry me?'
'Depends,' she said slowly. 'Are you asking me?'
'Depends,' Dante grinned. 'Are you gonna say yes?' The girl laughed, an unfamiliar sound to the small clearing they camped in.
'What kind of proposal is that?' she chided, sitting up and facing him with her arms crossed. Dante's grin melded into a more serious smile, and he met her eyes.
'I love you, Mikyla,' he reached into his pocket, fumbling around for the small circle of metal he'd hurriedly crammed into it. His fingers closed upon the ring, and he held it tightly between his thumb and forefinger. 'And I would be honoured if you'd be my wife,'
'Oh,' Mikyla's breath caught in her throat as he extended his hand towards her, the fire dancing upon the three tiny stones embedded into the glinting, golden circle. Thousands of thoughts all ran through her mind, trying to cram themselves into the tiny space of comprehension. When did he get this ring? Was this really happening? Had she really heard what he had muttered to her? How did he pay for it? Was she going to wake up the next morning and be disappointed it was only a dream?
'Well...?' Dante was starting to look nervous. Was she going to say yes? What could she possibly be thinking about? She hadn't answered yet... Should he have waited a bit longer? Why hadn't she answered yet?
'Dante,' Suddenly the girl threw her arms around his neck, laughing and crying at the same time. 'Yes, of course yes! Oh, I love you...' She moved her head back to quickly wipe her eyes, and leaned forward again and kissed him again and again. Dante calmly took her hand, and placed the ring onto her finger where it fit perfectly. He kissed her hand, and looked up at her with his own eyes beginning to moisten. Mikyla looked down at her hand, spreading her fingers delicately and admiring the band in the dying sunlight. Dante felt himself lose the battle to stay conscious, and quickly took the initiative to move her chin towards him, lean forward, and kiss her lovingly. For that one, precious moment, Dante Lagatso felt as if he could take on the world, and win.
From the trees close by, Migel watched expressionlessly, his pale eyes fixated on the shining ring on Mikyla's finger.
*****
'You know,' Guimel said loudly as he stared pointedly at the plate in front of him. 'We just defeated the entire Freidan army, shouldn't we at LEAST have a proper meal?'
'We're almost at Asturia,' Shesta remarked, poking at a cream-coloured substance with his fork. 'We'll be restocking as soon as we get there,' Dalet nodded, intently watching a greyish brown slab just in case it had the intentions to flee his plate.
'By this time tomorrow, we'll be eating like kings,' he commented, nudging the 'meat' with his knife.
'I wonder if Master Dilandau has to eat this stuff,' Gatti mused, sipping at his glass of vino. He side-glanced Shanti, who was busy pushing some peas around aimlessly with his fork.
'Oh, probably not. I bet he's sitting in his quarters right now, elegantly cutting at a roast,' Guimel lifted his nose in an uncanny resemblance to Dilandau, slicing at an imaginary piece of meat. 'Which he roasted himself, no doubt!'
'Naah, it'd be burned!' Dalet grinned. 'He'd probably enjoy one of those Asturian flahm-ay thingies!'
'That's 'flambe',' corrected Shesta, his mouth starting to water. 'With an expensive glass of white vino.'
'And dessert!' Guimel said dreamily, his indigo eyes staring off into the distance. 'Sweets piled high to the ceiling, all sorts of fruits and cream...' As he, Dalet, and Shesta continued in their salivating discussion of what the commander was stuffing himself silly with, Gatti moved closer to Shanti, whispering,
'What's wrong?' Shanti shook her head, and gave him a quick smile.
'Just thinking.' Which was true, she argued silently. She had been a
whirlwind of thought ever since the supper bell had rung. No; even before that.
When Gatti said that he... loved her. He had said it, just like that, and
kissed her before she could say anything. Then the accursed bell had
interrupted them, as it always did, and with a mysterious smile, Gatti escorted
her to the cafeteria.
He loves me... Oh, how those three little words held so much meaning!
But she hadn't answered. Did she love him back? Was she even capable of it?
That warm feeling...
'Try not to think too hard,' Gatti nudged her with a grin that didn't quite reach his eyes. He was also thinking; more like deluding himself. The only reason she hadn't answered was because the bell had sounded. There hadn't been time to... Was he doing the right thing, wanting what he did? Gatti narrowed his eyes at that thought, brushing it from his mind. He loved her, and that was that. He made a mental note to try and get another moment alone with her later on.
'You don't eat enough,' Dalet pointed his fork accusingly at Shanti, a fleck of the mysterious meatlike substance on the corner of his mouth.
'What are you, his mama?' Guimel said thickly.
'Don't talk with your mouth full, 'Mellie dear,' Gatti teased, deciding he wouldn't stress over Shanti's answer until after supper.
'Make sure you eat all your veggies, Gatti-kins,' the other boy simpered, causing Shesta to snort into his vino. Shanti shook his head pityingly and stabbed the greyish slab fiercely, catching onto their playfulness.
'Now children, no fighting at the table, or there'll be no dessert,' he said in a distinctly maternal sternness that made the rest of them stare.
'You sounded just like my mama,' muttered Guimel, with food in his mouth. Shesta smiled, looking at the Highlander warmly from the rim of his glass.
'I think Shanti'd make a good father,' Gatti quickly looked at Shanti for his reaction, but all he did was move the fork to his mouth in a rather philosophical gesture, a mysterious, secretive smile upon his lips.
***
'So... did you enjoy supper?' Shanti cocked a brow in the boy's direction,
stating she'd had worse. 'Oh, right,' Gatti scratched the back of his neck nervously.
They lapsed into silence, and so the ash-blond watched the girl. He could tell
she was nervous about something; she couldn't sit still. Just as Shanti
finished rearranging the paltry wardrobe for the nth time, Gatti couldn't stand
it anymore.
'I'm gonna get some tea... do you want some tea? I'll get you some tea,'
'But... right, nevermind,' Shanti watched him practically bolt out of the room. She sighed, tilted her head to one side, and stared at her shrunken uniform. It was a bit useless now; too tight to be worn during duty. There was no use giving it away, for only a Dragon Slayer could wear it. She held it out in front of her, studying it, when she got an idea. If Gatti actually WAS getting tea, then he wouldn't really mind having a uniform stuffed into their drinking water for further shrinkage...
***
Gatti, you ARE the man. Just be your charming manly self! Such were the thoughts that ran through the Slayer's mind as he skittered towards the kitchens.
'Hey, Gatti, wait up!' Dalet ran up to Gatti and walked beside him. 'So.. have you asked her yet?' Gatti flushed bright red and stared at his nonchalant comrade.
'Er... well... not yet,' he fidgeted, running a hand through his ash hair as they turned into the kitchen.
'Why not? You're not afraid are you?' Something in Dalet's tone hit a nerve with Gatti, and he stammered back childishly,
'Oh, like... like you could ask!'
'Don't get all defensive,' Dalet twisted a coffee-coloured strand around his little finger. 'I just don't see why you haven't yet. You WANT to, don't you?' Gatti narrowed his eyes stubbornly, boiling the water and piling the cups on the tray with loud crashes.
'Stop annoying me,' he snapped. Dalet said nothing further, leaning against
the wall with his arms folded and one brow raised. Gatti tried to avoid the
look the other boy was giving him, pretending he was busy with filling a little
metal ball with herbs. He found another reason to be unhappy Dalet found out
about Shanti - his lilac-eyed comrade could now annoy him about his intentions.
The last thing I need, Gatti thought, closing the metal ball shut and
dropping it into the boiling water. Oh, he wouldn't say it verbally. Dalet
didn't need to as long as Gatti knew the other would inwardly mock him about
not being manly enough to propose. It would bruise Gatti's ego, and no male
could stand having a bruised ego.
Brooding, he watched the amber tea thread its way through the water like a dye,
until it grew dark enough to remove the ball. She didn't like her tea too
strong, he thought idly.
And suddenly, the tea was ready, and he could procrastinate no longer. Dalet gave him an encouraging grin, accompanying him quite unnecessarily back to his room. Gatti took a deep breath, and went into his room.
***
'Catnip!' Shanti was upon him in an instant, gratefully taking a cup and
prancing over to the table. Sitting down as well, Gatti noted a dripping
uniform in the far corner, its sleeves cut off. He knew better than to ask.
A cup and a half later, the boy casually cleared his throat.
'So...'
'I love you too,' Gatti nearly choked on his tea. He looked up wild-eyed at Shanti, whose eyes were closed as she sipped at her tea. So much for being manly about it!
'Er... what?'
I mean,' the Highlander set her cup down, the bottom of it shaking against
the table before it had fully settled. Her eyes stayed averted, and she
fidgeted with her hands. 'Well... I thought about it and... you know... you
brought it up and... yah,' Even as she drifted off, Gatti swiftly moved to her
side, putting his arms around her somewhat possessively. Barely able to contain
the idiot-grin that threatened to break onto his face, he told her he loved her
as well, and kissed her.
'Do you,' she asked when he broke away. 'always do that when you can't think of
anything to say?' Why is my heart beating like this?
'Well... what should we talk about?' Gatti repositioned himself so that she could lean against him, his arms still around her.
'The future, perhaps?' Shanti suggested with a wry tone. She was so nervous... but why? This feeling inside of her - that warm, almost queasy feeling - was becoming more intense, and she couldn't explain it. Gatti laughed softly, and her stomach gave a sickening twist.
'So what are you going to do when the war's over?' He hoped she couldn't feel his heart beating hard against his chest. A wave coursed from his heart through his body, settling quite stubbornly in the depths of his stomach.
'I s'pose if I live, maybe I'll wander around aimlessly for a bit. Perhaps I'll settle down somewhere, so I'll have a place to come home to after a hard day's wandering,' her smile turned thoughtful. 'I don't know where I'd go,'
'You could live with me,' Gatti blurted out, his breastbone aching horribly. 'I could always get a job... and you could, if you didn't want to stay at home,' Shanti tilted her head, her brow furrowing.
'I know we aren't paid much, but I do think I could afford a place on my own!' she interjected, not quite catching Gatti's subtle leads.
'I wouldn't mind if you wandered, really!' the boy swallowed hard, sweat starting to form on his forehead. This isn't supposed to be happening! he thought, beginning to tremble in anxiety. 'I mean, if you want to get a job too, you could! I wouldn't mind that either!'
'What... ne? What are you talking about?' Gatti couldn't stand it anymore. In one fluid moment, he grasped her by the shoulders and swung her around to face him, shaking all over and feeling very faint. 'Hn?'
'Please, Shanti, you are making it very hard for me to ask you to marry me!' he said in a shaking voice, as if he were going to cry any moment. Shanti blushed deeply as Gatti fumbled around in his pocket, and brought out a small black box.
'What...?' she squeaked as he swiftly knelt down, opening the box and presenting it to her with his head bowed. Her shocked eyes numbly fixed upon the silver dragons, twisting around each other in an eternal ring.
'I love you so much, Shanti... I couldn't bear to think of a day without you,' Gatti raised his head meekly, his shining grey eyes gazing so innocently into her own. 'Please... would you marry me?'
A thousand reasons and words came as tsunami in her head. They were too
young... in the army... what if Master Dilandau found out? During a war as
well! And what would happen if...
She looked back at Gatti, too many emotions fighting in her for any to be
properly made into an expression. Her voice shook, the sound of it almost
completely alien to her, as she whispered her answer.