Girl in Gaea: The Untold Story
By Brenli and AmetrineButterfly
Chapter 3
"This… sucks." Kitsune said, displeased with the effect the gray armor, accented in silver, had on her body. It worked too hard at giving her shape, the bits of silver cleverly placed to accentuate her bosom and her hips. She felt like she was lying about her body, making false curves.
"How do you think I feel?" Okami retorted, her curves also brought out with the lines of her armor. "I'm way too curvaceous, now…"
"Step on out, if you two are fully dressed, now," Dallet called, and the two girls cautiously stepped out. "… Oh, you both look okay. Don't worry about it. This way." He led them off, and neither of the two girls were fully convinced with his reassurance.
"Dallet?" Kitsune asked.
"Yes?"
"Was the person who made this armor… male?"
"… Yes… Why do you ask?"
"That explains it, I guess," Okami muttered to herself.
"No reason." Kitsune told him.
Dallet arched a brown brow at them, and turned to Gatti, who approached them with two large, dark… demonic-looking horses. "Oh, thanks, Gatti. Kitsune, Okami, here are your horses."
They were both impressed with the size and appearance of the horses. Just looking at them might be able to scare the snot out of the enemy, as the two animals stared down at them through iron masks, steam escaping their heads.
Kitsune usually made it a point to like cute, tiny, brightly colored things… She developed an attachment to the horses, anyway, as she reached up high to pet her chosen horse's muzzle.
"Alright everyone, mount up!" Dilandau's voice could be heard over the milling Cavalry, and every member did as they were told.
Slipping her foot easily into the stirrup, Okami mounted in a single fluid motion. It had been so long since she had ridden a horse, and it felt good to be in the saddle again. She stole a glance at Kitsune, and smiled. Kitsune seemed to know what she was doing, but Okami noted that her feet were too far into the stirrups. She chuckled but just let it go. After all, not everyone lived on a horse ranch in a former life.
"Dragon Cavalry, move out! Second Infantry is to stay near the Stars until we reach the canyon, understand?" The group of men, lead by Dilandau took off in the sunset, the oranges and reds of the sky tinting everything about them, including themselves. The Stars were following Dilandau closely, with all the Second Infantry behind and to the sides of them, forming their fence of security about them as they rode on at a swift gallop. The two girls watched the scene turn into red dust and dirt along a flat ground as they came closer to their destination. Kitsune seemed happy for the wind rushing by her, but Okami felt fenced in. She literally WAS fenced in. Okami wanted to break out and ride away from the vast group of soldiers, but she knew that would've brought no good with a man like Dilandau for a leader. But suddenly, Dilandau slowed and came to a stop, and everyone else followed suit. They were finally at the canyon.
They halted their horses at its steep lip, and immediately a lone Cavalry member rode up to them. "Dilandau-sama!" he said. "The Abaharaki caravan is a mile up the gorge, they should be here inside of fifteen minutes!"
"Thank you, Gret. Take your position in line." Dilandau said, almost dangerously. When Gret took his position, Okami saw an insane sparkle in his eye as a smirk crossed his face. "We wait here!" He said, loudly for all his men to hear. "We wait for our prey to come to us."
Okami shifted in her saddle, wondering why it is that Folken ordered her and Kitsune to come with them. What purpose could they possible serve? Okami had never held a sword in her entire life, and something told her Kitsune was no kendo master, either. Frowning, Okami noticed a loose piece of armor on the wither of Dilandau's horse. Swallowing deeply, she dismounted.
"Okami-chan?" Kitsune said, following her with worried eyes.
Reassuring her with a nod and a smile, Okami made her way to Dilandau's stationary horse. She was sure she had startled him by her sudden appearance beside him, and he glared at her. "What are you doing?" He muttered darkly.
Without answering, Okami began to fix the small, hanging piece of armor. Dilandau's hard gaze weakened. "It seemed as though it was making him uncomfortable." Okami said quietly, avoiding the commander's gaze, as she smoothed out the armor. Dilandau's horse turned his armored head to bump her hip. "Hey!" she giggled. "Cut that out!" Smiling, Okami slid a hand under a faceplate to stroke the soft fur beneath. The horse let out an odd purr and blissfully fluttered his eyes.
Dilandau didn't quite know what to make of the situation. These horses had been bred to be fearless vehicles for the Black Dragon Clan army, and yet his own horse was acting FRIENDLY to a mere woman? And to the Dark Star to top it all off? Strangely enough, Dilandau was oddly captivated by the sight. He was almost mesmerized by the vision of Okami giggling when his horse would bump her with his nose again, frustrated that she had stopped stroking him.
Kitsune found the situation adorable, and could not help but giggle, herself. Now that all this tension was building up around her, she was honestly glad to see that at least a horse was willing to stop and be loving. She smiled and continued to laugh, blinking back tears that were forming out of each laugh that left her throat. Yet as she did so, a disturbing thought... no, a picture, came to mind: a picture of the loving horse lying in shreds upon the dusty ground. She stiffened and her laughs stopped short in her mouth, but she quickly dismissed the disturbing vision, pasting an unsure smile onto her face to replace the genuine one.
"Hey, you ok?" A worried voice pulled Kitsune away from her visions.
"Ano..." Kitsune turned to see that Dallet had ridden up to her, the light smile that usually sat on his face gone. "... Yeah..." She tried to smile wider but was sure she looked dumb. "I'm fine."
Unconvinced, Dallet opened his mouth to say something, when he was interrupted by a frantic voice.
"Dilandau-sama!"
"What is it!" Dilandau barked, annoyed.
"The Abaharaki caravan! It's at the entrance of the gorge, sir!"
"Ah." A satanic gleam shimmered in Dilandau's pink eyes. "You should return to your horse now." He giggled, an inhuman mirth that sent Okami back to her horse quickly.
Okami threw a worried, anxious glance at Kitsune. There was something wrong, she could sense it. Kitsune was scared, troubled by something, and Okami knew it wasn't the battle. In the gorge, an enormous caravan pulled by oxen the size of a house appeared, moving at a leisurely pace.
"Jajuka, is that it? Folken wants whatever's inside that thing?" Again, Dilandau giggled his spine-tingling giggle. "What's it like inside, Shesta?"
All eyes, spare Dilandau's, glued to the blonde-headed Shesta. His blue eyes widened as he threw his head back, staring eerily at the heavens as his breath became interspersed with low gasping. "Yes, sir. I can see…" He gasped again, his voice low and whispery. "Lowest deck, starboard side… a girl in white at the stables… I can see her…" With a final, callous gasp, Shesta's body slumped forward as he caught his breath once more.
"A girl in white?" Dilandau muttered, glaring at the approaching caravan.
Okami stole a glimpse at Kitsune, who looked as confused and frightened as she did. Okami took in a sharp breath when a creature riding a horse, moved up through the line. It was a beast, yet a man as well. The Dark Star stared in bewilderment and fear at the creature she had somehow missed in the riding ranks.
"Lord Dilandau, we must make this plan work." The beastman's voice was calming, soft, and Okami felt a bit more at ease when he spoke.
"All we need to do is snatch the wing goddess, right?" Dilandau barked, annoyed at the beastman's condescension. "I know that. But you know… Why can't we just kill them all?"
"The Abaharaki are professional fighters." The beastman said. "If we lose too many of our men because we ignored orders-"
The scabbard of a sword swung and connected with the beastman's cheek, and he was promptly knocked out of his saddle. Kitsune blinked, the event having happened so fast it took a moment to process.
"Enough of your babbling." Dilandau snarled. "It's getting dark already." Shouldering his sword, Dilandau looked to the sky, that insane gleam still present. "It's hunting time. Beastmen!" He yelled out.
Okami had to hold in her startled scream when several more beastmen seemed to come out of the ground. They appeared everywhere, some holding blades, others having barrels strapped to their back. "You lead the charge." Dilandau said to them. "You know your jobs." The beastmen then disappeared as quickly as they came. "Dallet!" Dilandau brandished his sword.
"Yes sir?"
"Stay with the Spirit Stars." Dilandau said, calming his anxious horse. "No harm must come to them, understand? Stay out of sight until we retrieve the wing goddess."
"Yes, sir!"
Dilandau locked his gaze with Okami for a moment, a meaningful glance that for once, Okami couldn't read. The contact was broken almost as soon as it was made, and Dilandau spun his horse and charged down the canyon after the beastmen, the rest of the Cavalry in tow. Idly, Okami wondered which Cavalry members she wouldn't be seeing again. But then she quickly shook her head, aghast at herself. What a morbid thought! And yet, part of her didn't seem to care. It was strange; usually she would be distraught over something like that.
"Kitsune! Okami!" Dallet broke Okami's thoughts. "The caravan is moving quickly down the gorge, we have to keep up!"
Nodding, the two girls ran their horses behind Dallet's as they moved down the lip of the gorge, keeping pace with the caravan as it fled from the Cavalry. Okami watched as a beastman, adorned with a barrel, clung to one of the caravan's enormous wheels. An explosion ripped the wheel apart and the caravan slid to a halt.
"Okami-chan!" Kitsune called, beckoning Okami away from the gorge's edge. Okami, captivated by the battle, managed to follow orders and dismount her horse. Dallet took its reigns and led them away from the rim, crawling closely to the ground. In spite of the heaviness of the situation at hand, Okami almost found their position funny: They were army-crawling away from being seen.
"Here. We'll be fine here." Dallet told them, coming to a halt and sitting up just slightly. The three of them watched over the battle, far from any harm. Dallet shifted his brown gaze to the two girls, watching Kitsune frowning deeply. "… Maybe you shouldn't watch, Kitsune…"
She shook her head. "… No. I think I should." She watched a horse run off with, of all things, a girl lying on it. An average-looking, short-haired schoolgirl from, of all places, Earth. One horse followed, and then the Dragon Cavalry chased after them. "An Earth girl…? Okami-chan… Did you see... OKAMI-CHAN!" Kitsune called out, frantic, as Okami suddenly jumped to her feet.
"Okami! Get DOWN! What are you DOING?" Dallet yelled, moving toward her.
Not only did Okami fail to answer, she sprinted towards her horse, shedding bits of armor as she went.
"Okami-chan!" Kitsune cried, panicked over her sudden reckless actions.
When Okami finally reached her horse, she had discarded every piece of her armor, leaving only her black tank top, pants and boots. Without using a stirrup, she flung herself smoothly into the saddle and was off, racing her horse up the gorge's brim to where the Cavalry was headed.
"OKAAAAAMI!" Kitsune cried frantically, jumping up as well.
Dallet's first instinct was to pull Kitsune down, but what good would that have done when he had to go after Okami? "… SHHHHHIIIT." He cursed loudly, standing as well. "Get your horse; we're following her!"
Kitsune nodded and quickly mounted, and the two of them left swiftly. Dallet was cursing under his breath until he came to a halt. Kitsune slowed down beside him. "Okami is so reckless… Is she always like this?"
"I wouldn't know… I've only known her for a couple months, remember?"
Dallet shot her a look that told her not to give him lip.
"… What?" Kitsune asked him.
"… Nothing." He watched as Okami stopped a few short paces away from Dilandau, who had just killed a beastman. Kitsune flinched slightly upon seeing the corpse. "… Turn away, Kitsune."
"N-no…" Kitsune refused again.
"You want to see the blood?"
"… I think I'll be seeing a lot more soon, anyway…" Kitsune murmured.
Dallet couldn't respond to her words, and Dilandau's voice rose up to them. "Oh well, hit the wrong target, but it doesn't matter… He was useless, anyway." His voice dripped with carelessness. "All we need to do is snatch that girl, right? We don't need the guy, do we?" They could not see his smile. "So… I can do as I like, right?"
There was a human man down by the Earthling schoolgirl whose identity was unknown to Kitsune, but she watched him cringing in his anger and take a step forward…
It all happened so quick, it took everyone by surprise with the exception of Kitsune. The ground beneath the man's feet split, fiery-hot lava emerging from the crack that grew and traveled up to Dilandau's position. Dilandau's horse was in the air, struggling… "Oh my God…" Kitsune whimpered.
"What is it, Kitsune?" Dallet asked. Kitsune didn't answer, but watched, wide-eyed, as Dilandau's horse gave out a cry and was ripped to shreds by the human man's power.
Kitsune let out a high scream as she watched Dilandau fall to the ground, surrounded by the horses torn remnants, covered with the horse's blood.
The beastman that had previously spoken with Dilandau before the Dragon Cavalry's attack began called out demandingly, "SPREAD OUT! He was magical powers; leave some distance!"
Everyone followed the order with the exception of Okami and Dilandau, who had been caught in the split ground that formed from this strange human man's power. "Kitsune…!" Dallet called out to the Light Star. She wasn't moving. She was frozen as she stared in silent shock at the exact replica of her morbid vision, made into real life. "Kitsune, what are you doing?" He rode back up to her. "Come ON!" He yelled, and finally Kitsune shook off her shock and moved away with him.
Meanwhile, Okami's horse was panicking. She fought to keep the raging horse under control, but it reared in a fury, knocking Okami off. She hit the ground hard, stunned as her frightened horse charged off. Blinking the stars from her eyes, she tried to get up, but her body screamed with pain. So she settled with propping herself up with her elbows, to see Dilandau still laying a short distance from her.
Okami watched as Dilandau lay on the ground for a short while… and then began to laugh. "That's right… you were with the Abaharaki. I forgot." He giggled psychotically, a cruel smile curling his pale lips. "I get it… You're the dragon I've heard so much about…" Dilandau stood now, ignoring the horse blood on his body, or maybe even enjoying it, for how… genuinely evil he sounded.
The human man Dilandau called a dragon began to speak to the Earthling schoolgirl. "Hitomi! Get behind me!" And the Earthling schoolgirl known as Hitomi promptly obeyed.
Dilandau simply stood casually as a bloody mess, resting his sword upon his shoulder. It had begun to rain and Okami watched it fall down over the land. The pain in her body weakened, and she managed to fight shakily to her feet, and seek cover near a boulder. She glanced back to Kitsune and Dallet, who were frozen as they stared back at her, Dallet wearing a worried, half-angry frown, Kitsune paralyzed in fear.
Dilandau let loose another evil giggle. "Oh, no… This is terrible. I'm drenched. I hate the rain… it makes me so depressed. One of my soldiers just died…" A sneer crossed his face. "But he was a fool to die. If you're strong, you don't die." The sneer became a sadistic smile. "Now… it's time to play. Let's have some fun."
The girl known as Hitomi screamed out in fear. "VAN!"
Okami watched as Dilandau sent out an energy wave aimed right for the man named Van, but he skillfully blocked and charged at the crazed Dilandau. Metal met metal as their swords clashed and pushed against each other. The ground beneath their feet flew up about them, the sheer force of the two men tearing up the earth as they continued to fight. Dilandau's sword shattered from Van's power, but he was quick to send the shards in Van's path as he dived in, making an attempt to kill Dilandau. It was a blatantly foolish move, for one of the metal shards of Dilandau's broken sword bit into Van's flesh. Dilandau went flying from another of Van's energy waves. Van's pierced body hit the ground as rain pounded, lightening struck, the land continued to rip and fly like chaos had begun.
Horrified, Okami watched as the ground beneath her feet began to crumble away, falling away into the endless void beneath. "SHIT!" Without thinking, Okami sprinted towards the safe ground that wasn't collapsing. She dove for it as her footing disappeared, and as she landed, more fell away then she anticipated. She was left hanging by her arms, dangling over certain death. To make her situation worse, she was slipping. Before she fell, she felt an arm around her waist, pulling her to the side. It was Dilandau. Somehow he had found refuge on the tiniest of outcroppings on the newly formed cliff-face.
Dilandau clutched Okami protectively to his chest as more stones fell around them. In return, she clung to him, petrified. After a few moments, the mayhem died down, and the earth was still. Okami listened to the steady rhythm of Dilandau's heart, the only sound that pounded in her ears.
"Are you alright?" His voice broke through Okami's thoughts.
"Y-yes." Okami stuttered, wondering why Dilandau was still holding her so tightly.
"I told Dallet to keep you out of sight." His tone was angry, dangerous.
"Gomen nasaii. It was my fault, please don't be upset with Dallet."
"Dilandau-sama!" Miguel's face appeared above them, reaching a hand down.
Dilandau gripped her shoulders pushing her gently away. "Don't put yourself in danger again." He said sternly, eyes boring into hers.
Confused, Okami couldn't answer before Miguel's hand clutched hers, pulling her off of the ledge and up to safety.
"O-Okami-chan!" Kitsune called out urgently. "Are you okay? What were you THINKING?"
"I… don't know." Okami turned her gaze to the ledge where Dilandau was climbing out of the crevasse with little help. He locked his gaze with hers, and Okami didn't know quite what to think.
Blue candlelight shed it's deceptive radiance through a large room. Folken stood regally at the top of a short set of stairs. Okami and Kitsune stood in the room's corner, curious as to why Folken had summoned Dilandau here.
Dilandau knelt at a distance before Folken, a glimmer of nervousness showing in his eyes.
"Why didn't you follow my orders, Dilandau?"
There was something dangerous in Folken's voice. Something domineering and evil; Okami could sense it, and it made her uneasy.
"I ordered you to bring back the Wing Goddess." Folken continued. "Instead you got yourself mired in useless battles. You fool." A candle fluttered when Folken grit his teeth. Okami's stomach churned when Dilandau was assaulted by an invisible force. Contortions in his neck indicated he was being choked by that force as he sputtered and gasped. The strained creaking of Dilandau's leather became a nightmarish melody as his arm was forced to warp and twist. "Who was the one who saved you from roaming in the wild with feral dogs?" Folken persisted, malice in his tone. "Who was it!"
Dilandau's finger snapped, and he gasped and cried out weakly. "You, Lord Folken."
Kitsune shuddered under the sharp snap of bone. She immediately began to regret coming here to see what Folken had wanted. She'd already seen more violence than she was accustomed to, and she didn't need to see any more. She thought she might scream if she saw more… She decided she would leave if she saw more.
Heedless of Kitsune's discomfort, Folken continued his battery on Dilandau. "Who has given you command of the Dragon Cavalry? Who!" Another finger snapped, and Dilandau cried out once more.
"You did, Lord Folken!" Dilandau was dropped roughly to the floor, having been released from the force's hold.
Kitsune had to bite her lip to keep from crying out with Dilandau, but a muffled whimper made its way from her throat, and she quickly turned to leave the room.
Gasping and cringing on the floor, Dilandau let out an angry cry as he shot his own green energy as a meager revenge for his pain. It was unsuccessful. His attempt dispersed easily around Folken and as punishment, Dilandau received a heavy, bloody blow to his chin. Dilandau collapsed heavily onto the floor, stunned and twitching.
"You are one of the remaining few on Gaea with Dragon Clan blood coursing through your veins." Folken's voice soon adopted a forgiving, yet still wicked, tone. "Although you are of lower birth that blood possesses magical power. I have great expectations of that power of yours."
Dilandau could only mutter his weak reply. "I…"
"Dilandau… if you desire, I will give you a new power. A power befitting a scion of the Dragon Clan." An odd smile played across the blue-headed man's lips.
"I want that new power…"
"Good. Arrangements will be made." With that, Folken made his way to the door, leaving the bleeding Dilandau alone. He approached Okami, whose face held a passive, mistrusting expression. "… You think I'm cruel?" Folken said.
"No. I think you are a fraud…" She said, eyes smoldering into his. "You aren't out to save this world. You want the opposite." The Dark Star didn't wait to see his response, she walked past him to the bleeding side of Dilandau.
A frown hovered on Folken's face, a dangerous one, as he walked calmly out of the room.
Okami paid no regard to Folken's anger. Kneeling next to the dazed Dilandau, she tore off the bottom of her tank top and began to clean away the blood on his chin.
"You…" Dilandau said weakly, trying to sit up. "You're going to pity me now… aren't you?"
Okami helped him into a sitting position, watching him cradle the hand of his broken fingers. "… Would you want me to?"
"No." He said firmly.
"Then I won't." Okami reached gently for his hand, only to have him flinch away. "It's alright, it'll only hurt for a second." Frowning, Dilandau let her take his hand. With a quick snap, Dilandau's fingers were reset. He grit his teeth with the pain, but within a few seconds, he found himself feeling better. "Look." Okami continued as she slid closer. "I don't know how, or why it is that you are here. But regardless… it's your decision to be here. It's your decision to take this abuse. I wouldn't take pity on you… even if you asked me to."
Dilandau was taken aback by Okami's words, though for the life of him he couldn't figure out why. It wasn't like he needed anyone's pity, anyway. If she had given him pity, he might've slapped her for it… right? So maybe he was grateful that Okami did not give him pity. Maybe just a little bit. Sort of. Dilandau blinked a bit, observing his reset hand that still had a dull throb to it. "It… IS my decision to take it. And you will never catch me asking for your pity, Dark Star." His mouth was set at a firm line.
Okami frowned. "I have a name, you know." She said bluntly.
"Well, now, you haven't exactly told me yet now have you?" Dilandau bit out sharply. His words rang too loud in the silent room. "… What is it, anyway?" He asked more quietly.
Part of her wasn't expecting him to even ask. She anticipated him just blowing it off, and having a good excuse to call her 'Dark Star' for as long as they knew each other. She looked down. "… It's Okami…"
"Okami…? Odd name." He said idly.
"I suppose it fits."
"Does it?" Dilandau asked boredly. "Do you actually have three eyes and a tail or two? Because you look fairly normal to me."
Okami felt a stab of sadness in her heart. "Don't pretend that you know what it's like where I come from. There… I'm nothing but an ainoko… a half-breed. A freak. A creature undeserving of sharing the same air as those I live with." Her voice was bitter. "But you could never understand something like that, could you?" Angered, she got to her feet. "I would kill to look… 'fairly normal'…"
The accusation that he would never understand her made Dilandau feel offended. Regardless of whether it was true or not. "I'm not saying that I know what that Mystic Moon is like, am I? But you CAN'T say that I don't know what Gaea is like… And in these parts, you are so normal, you look almost boring." A pause. "Does that make you feel better at all?" He mumbled moodily.
"No. Because even if I do look normal, people still look at me with fear here. Once again, Kitsune is the loved one, and I am the outcast." Okami stated simply. "So it doesn't matter if you think I'm boring or not, because even when I leave Earth, I'm still hated and misunderstood."
Dilandau scowled. "Sorry, then, Okami. Because I'm not misunderstood at all."
Okami immediately felt guilty for being so standoffish, because it was obviously true. She could sense it from the first time they met, there was something lurking below Dilandau's surface, something not as evil as he liked to make it out. "Dilandau… do you feel alone?"
Dilandau blinked and stared at Okami with a searching, piercing gaze. "… Don't we all?" He answered question with question, not feeling comfortable saying yes or no. He didn't know if Okami would take it for an honest answer or a sarcastic one. He'd let Okami think what she wanted.
His questioning answer, told Okami exactly what she needed to know. "You know… when you're forced to think something for so long… you eventually begin to believe that it's the truth. But when you find that it's not… you can feel truly free for the first time in your life…" Okami headed for the door, and paused in the threshold. "By the way… thank you."
"For what?"
"You saved my life… I believe a 'thank you' is appropriate." With that, she left Dilandau alone, surrounded by splatters of his own blood.
To be continued…