Elaclea Electronic

(Well, here is the second to last chapter! But don't worry; there are more Last Exile fan fics on the way…So, here we go! (short note, isn't it?) )

Chapter Eleven: Emotional Lows and Highs

Godwin and the others were obviously concerned. Claus rushed over to Dio and tried to help him, which only made everything worse. One thing I learned from Ressius was to not interfere with the seizures. "Dio, what's wrong? Calm down!" Claus exclaimed, grabbing his shoulders. Dio was deaf to Claus's pleas. He pushed him away and ran out of the room. Claus was about to go after him, but I stopped him.

This was my duty; not anyone else's and it was time that Claus realized that. "Let me handle this, please." I said and went after Dio. He had gone outside, to the backyard, and had fallen to the ground. I followed him and waited for him to come out of the seizure. Minutes passed and he continued writhing. I wanted desperately to help him, but I knew there was nothing I could do. A profound sense of helplessness struck me as I watched him.

Finally, it was over. Dio lay unmoving, breathing long and slow. I knelt down next to him, careful not to be a disturbance. "Dio, sir, are you all right now?" I asked my voice low. I was relieved that no one else came out after us. More people would just make him even more uncomfortable.

Dio's eyes fluttered open and he looked over to me, a bewildered expression on his pale face. "Did I have a seizure?" he whispered. Normally, when he had one, he was entirely unaware of what happened.

I nodded slowly, almost reluctantly. This seizure made me begin to think that Dio may have an intense phobia of something I never would have expected; anything in the color orange. As I thought about it, I remembered that he had a seizure when he first saw Empress Sophia's orange dress so long ago. "Sir, can you tell me why you are so afraid of the color orange?" I inquired. If he told me, maybe we could really eliminate the seizures forever. But, already, I knew that this would not be an easy subject for him to discuss.

Dio sat up and glanced around, as if he wanted to make sure no one was eavesdropping on us. Before he voiced his reply, he scooted closer to me. It was as if what he had to say would be so terrible that even he was afraid to tell it. "Luciola…the only people that know about it are me, Delphine, and Ressius," he whispered, "They made me swear not to tell anyone, but since neither of them are here, I think that I should tell you about it." At the end of every sentence, he hesitated.

My mouth was dry, but I wanted to swallow. I felt the same way I had when Ressius told me about Dio's condition so many years ago. "Don't be afraid. You can tell me anything." I said. No matter what the problem was, I would save him from it. I was determined to keep him away from harm forever.

Silence hung thick in the air as I waited for his reply. Dio frowned nervously and twirled his straight hair around his long fingers. His eyes could not settle on anything; they darted around, full of uncertainty. "Do you remember…a long time ago…when the Guild went to war with Anatoray?" he asked.

I merely nodded. That time was a bloody period that no one wanted to even talk about. Although I had been fairly young then, I can still remember hearing the screams of soldiers and innocents as they were massacred.

"Well…The palace was under attack and my mother told me to run and hide with Delphine. Delphine said that we should go hide in the orchard, which was where that rose garden is now. The orchard was full of orange trees. I followed her out there, but then Delphine tricked me and ran way. I called out for her, but she didn't come back. I started hearing voices—I thought they were Guilders, but I was wrong. Anatorayan soldiers were in the orchard too! As soon as one of them spotted me, I tried to run away, but he…he grabbed me and dragged me away from the palace. I was…I was so scared…That man did terrible things to me…He…he ripped off my clothes…and…" Dio was practically hysterical. I wanted to offer him comfort, but I had no idea what to say or do.

"N-now…whenever I see orange, I think about that…and it makes me feel like I felt back then! So much pain…I try not to think about it, but I can't help it…"

I was speechless. That was not what I had been expecting, although I'm not even sure what I was expecting. Finally, words came to me. "Dio, I'm so sorry…I wish there was something I could do to help you forget about that…" I said, "No one should ever have to experience such an awful thing."

A small smile spread on Dio's face. His sadness was ebbing away already. He jumped on top of me and hugged me…and I knew that no matter what, Dio and I would always be there for one another.

That night I thought the house was unusually quiet. Gale, Godwin, and Alvis had gone off to some newly opened amusement park. They offered to take us with them, but Dio did not want to go. We stayed in the house and Dio fell asleep earlier than he normally did. I stayed awake a little while longer, just watching him…He was so fragile…and in the moonlight, he looked like a porcelain doll. When I finally went to sleep, I could hear Godwin and the others coming into the house. Aside from the sounds the door made, the house was silent.

As I drifted off, I had no idea that it was going to be the last night we really shared together.

Sunlight shined in thin rays through the window as I woke up the next morning. I sat up slowly and rubbed my eyes. Once I felt awake, I glanced over at Dio's bed, which was empty. He always was an early riser. I slid onto the floor and got dressed. As I walked out of the room, I noticed that the house was yet again, empty. I frowned and walked into the kitchen. No one was in there…I began to feel a little nervous as I searched the rest of the house. For a moment, I thought they had gone somewhere, but then…why would they leave me?

It was then that I saw Dio outside the window, talking with Gale. Relief washed over me and right as I opened the door, Gale walked away from Dio. The prince turned and smiled at me.

"Good morning, Luciola!" he exclaimed and ran over to me, "It's a nice day today, isn't it?" A big smile formed on his face and I felt like smiling too, and had I not been trained to conceal my emotions, I would have.

Suddenly, I heard the door open behind me and before I could even turn around and see who it was, Dio let out a blood curdling scream and everything went black.

(Whoa! Short chapter! ; I didn't realize this one was so SHORT. Oh well. The last one is longer. See you at the end!)