Girl in Gaea: The Untold Story
By Brenli and AmetrineButterfly
Chapter 10
The dim light of the overcast blue moon cast surreal shadows across the cobblestone streets of Torushina. Dilandau's boots clanked against the stones as he made his way up the streets, a group of the Cavalry in tow. He pointed fingers down separate streets, beckoning them to split up to patrol. When they were out of sight, the street was deserted, all civilians having been ordered to remain in their homes.
Dilandau sighed, staring up at the moons. His heart seemed to ache. He still had no idea where to find the Abaharaki, for it was never reported that they had entered Torushina. Where could Okami be? Was she alright? A bitter realization washed over him. Would she even want him to know? Crap. Probably not. "Dilandau…" He muttered to himself. "You're such a dumbass… You could have had something good and you pissed it away."
'Well NOW we're getting somewhere!'
Dilandau thought it best to just ignore, and he continued up the streets, patrolling for any possible stragglers. He tried not to let his thoughts wander, but right when it seemed like they would, a shriek brought him back to earth with an unpleasant thump.
"SHIT!" A woman yelled. Dilandau paused at the end of an alley, staring into its dark depths to see the open door of a tavern spilling its yellow light.
"Come back here you little BITCH!" A gruff male voice bellowed, and Dilandau observed a woman in black clothes come charging out of the door, a large red-faced man brandishing a sword behind her.
Dilandau felt his stomach jump to his throat. He recognized those black clothes, and especially that long curly hair. It was Okami. Immediately he unsheathed his sword, instinctively wanting to protect her, to gut that man who was threatening her, to make him wish he were never born.
"Okami!" Another voice resonated from the doorway, and a man in black with long blonde hair came tearing after Okami and the angry, drunken man. He also pulled his sword, rushing to protect the unarmed woman.
"Allen!" Okami cried out as the man grabbed her about the waist, pulling her close to his chest and he blocked a blow originally aimed for her head by the intoxicated male. Sparks flew when steel met steel, causing Okami to bury her face in the blonde man's chest.
The burly inebriated man swayed heavily on the spot, sputtering incoherent syllables. Allen didn't even give the man a chance before he drove his sword through his heart, pushing the man down in a limp heap.
"Allen…" Okami said, completely nonchalant to the dead body now at their feet. "You didn't have to do that. I could have handled it."
Allen still hadn't let go of Okami's waist. "It's no problem. Maybe next time you won't try to break a man's hand that's four times your size?"
Frowning, Okami pushed him away. "Maybe next time he'll know not to grab a woman's ass?"
"Well anyway, we should be getting back. Come on." Allen took her gently by the elbow, leading her away.
Dilandau stood unmoving, eyes wide, heart torn asunder. He did not just see Okami willfully in the arms of another man, another man eagerly protecting her. The image of his intimate touch on her waist replayed over in his head like a nauseating torture. The tip of his sword hit the cobbled street with a clank, his hands shaking, his stomach churning. A cold stone sat in the pit of his gut. This feeling was completely foreign to him; all that he knew was that it hurt… a lot.
'You waited too long, Dilly old boy."
Please… just… don't say anything. The pain inside of him was almost unbearable. He felt as though he had just lost her. But I didn't have her in the first place…
'You could have. You blew it, you egocentric fuck.'
"NO!" Dilandau screeched, dropping his sword, hands flying to his hair, grabbing it painfully by the roots. "I can fix this!"
'How? How can you fix things with Okami, if you can't even sort out your OWN feelings?'
I can sort them out. I know I can.
'Could you? How long will it take, Dilly boy? How many years? And by then, would you be able to get what you want…?'
I… don't know.
'Of course not, idiot! You'll never know at the rate you're going! You'll never know what you want, or how to get it…! You'll never know anything except how to kill!'
THAT IS A LIE! I'll know… I will fix things with her. I'll fix them because I… Dilandau paused, feeling like the words were on the tip of his tongue, so light that he could breathe them out, and everything would be better.
'Because you what, Dilandau… Why will you fix things with her?'
"Because…" He said his words aloud, so the rest of the world could hear it, if it only strained to listen. The heaviness in Dilandau's chest seemed to melt away when he said his three words. "I love her…"
'Good boy. Now what will you do, now that you've admitted you love her?'
"… I'm going to fix things…"
X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X
Dallet made a fist with one hand and gripped the stack of papers with the other. Half of him was afraid to knock, knowing that once he did, he might say things he would come to regret, he could ruin things with Kitsune…
Not that there was much of anything, anyway. There could have been, but she lied. She lied to his face and smiled that whole damn time…
That thought was enough to make him knock on her door, anyway. She opened the door cautiously, and he noted the sword at her side. He wanted to ask if she found him a threat, but he fought hard to keep his bitterness in check. "Kitsune."
"… Yes?" She seemed worried. "… Are you okay, Dallet?"
Her accent was adorable. She seemed to have no choice but to add more emphasis on the last syllable of his name… 'Dalléto…' Her tongue simply rolled that way…
It was also that tongue that lied to him.
"Are you?" He asked back.
Kitsune blushed and bowed her head just slightly. He wanted to tease her. He also wanted to scold her. "… I've been having too many visions at once… But I'll be okay."
"Okay." Dallet said, not believing her for a minute. He stepped inside without asking if it was fine by her. He wanted to explode right now, and he tried his hardest to keep it all in check as he held out the stack of papers. Kitsune blinked rapidly and reached for them. He pulled them back. "… Are you sure you're okay?" He asked one more time.
Kitsune quickly grew frustrated, her brows furrowing. "I'm fine. Stop worrying about me."
She'd lied and denied him once again…! Dallet gave up. "… Here." He thrust the papers at her.
"Thank you…" was her soft reply, and she took most of the papers. Dallet kept one for himself, but she thought nothing of it and went to stuff them in her notebook.
"Kitsune… You told me you loved your boyfriend."
Kitsune's body stiffened. She arched a brow. "Well… I –"
"Kitsune you lied to me." Dallet cut her off, letting loose his anger bit by bit.
"… What?" He could see the signs of worry begin to show on her face, and the thing was… he actually enjoyed it.
Dallet took up the letter he'd kept in his possession and read from it. "'I don't need to look at anyone else anymore. All I need to see is Dallet. I'm scared because the man who makes the better boyfriend isn't the one I am dating.'" He looked up and positively enjoyed the fear on her face. "You've wanted to be with me all along." He said the words harshly, letting each one fall on her heavily.
Kitsune had gone pale. "I… I don't know what you're talking about –"
"Stop denying it! I KNOW you have feelings for me!" He yelled.
He knew. Dallet knew, because she'd been dumb enough to write it out! She felt naked, completely naked, and he stared on behind a soldier's mask… but his eyes glowed with pain. Her most recent premonition had come to life far sooner than she'd thought.
He was back to reading the letter. "'He even developed a crush on me. He hasn't said anything, but I can feel it.'" He looked up again. "Fine, then. So you figured me out, too."
"Dallet… I –"
"You like me and you know I like you. But you've gone on being taken to your little… Mystic Moon boytoy of yours!" He was screaming now and he knew it. But he didn't care… it felt good to let go and vent. No wonder Dilandau was quick to yell. He let the jealousy nibble at him as he continued, "Going on about how much you miss him… And you don't even care that much about HIM, either!"
Kitsune was on her knees now, staring with wide eyes at the ground before her. It was hitting her too hard. Somehow, Dallet could not find it in himself to care. Too hurt to think, all he could do was yell. It was the only thing that made him feel better about his sorry situation. "You know, your letter does a good job of making you sound like you almost HATE this Toshiyo guy, but then why have you been running around telling me that you miss him when I ask why you look sad? … Why would you smile so much when I asked you to tell me about him?"
"Stop it…" Kitsune whispered weakly. Dallet had never come down on her so hard. She knew she'd been figured out, but she didn't expect all this anger rushing from him. He wasn't even Dallet, anymore…
Dallet pressed on, the ache inside him straining his voice. "Why would you smile when he's not a good boyfriend? You wrote it yourself! You scratched it out, but you did write it! Tell me, then, what makes him so bad?"
Kitsune had to bite her lip to hold back her tears. "Dallet…"
"What makes him bad, Kitsune?" Dallet read from the letter one more time. "'I continued checking out other guys and melting over them and you kept…' Kept what? You sure scratched it out to death. What did he do that was so terrible? Hit you?" He thought of the worst thing imaginable. It didn't matter if he hit it right on the head. All that mattered was that he made it known: He'd been wronged and he was angry about it.
Kitsune let out a ragged breath and shook her hung head, her ebon hair forming a curtain over her face.
"WHAT THEN?" Dallet screamed. "What are you a victim of, Kitsune? NEGLECT?"
Kitsune shot him an angry, torn look. It made Dallet freeze in all his rage. Her mouth was pinched into a tiny pout, the corners of her mouth quivering into a frown. Her eyes never looked so large as she stared up at him. They shot her own bits of anger at him, but they filled with tears, and her brows were giving away a near breakdown. But she refused to back down from staring at him. She flat out challenged him to take another stab at her, because he'd finally hit the mark: Toshiyo neglected her all four years of their life together.
The rage inside left with that look smeared on Kitsune's face. He had nothing to scream about, nothing to be hurt over. All that pent-up frustration was gone, and there was nothing left but the mess he made. "… You are."
At last tears left her, and her gaze moved away from him. "… That was UNNECESSARY."
"… I'm sorry…" He said softly. He really was, right then. The last thing he wanted was to be the cause of her tears… but here he'd made it all happen. He wanted to die.
"What, do you feel better now that you've called me the bad one here, you prick? At least Toshiyo never jumped the gun and pushed it further than it needed to go!" Kitsune spat at him, feeling the need to take a stab at Dallet's feelings as well.
She'd hit her mark, like she knew she would. Dallet's eyes widened before they narrowed. "So am I the bad one?"
Kitsune had no honest answer for that question. "Yes! No! I don't even care right now, just leave!"
Dallet wanted to drop down on his knees and hold her. He wanted to beg forgiveness, and kiss her, and make her feel better. He didn't want to leave…
But he did.
X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X
He wanted to die. That was all that could run through his mind as he left Kitsune's room, dragging his boots down the hall, away from her. Was she crying? Was she never going to find it in herself to talk to him again? He wanted to die…
Dallet ran into something hard, causing him to stumble back a few steps. The first thing his eyes registered was the color red, and he knew instinctively: He literally ran into Dilandau. Quickly he put up his soldier's mask and braced himself for a few more blows. The perfect punishment for getting carried away in all his anger. "Excuse me, Dilandau-sama… I didn't mean to…"
The intimidating face of the commander remained passive, staring blankly at the man before him. "No harm, no foul." With that, Dilandau sidestepped around Dallet, making his way up the hallway, his mind clearly on something more important.
Dallet had to blink several times. That WAS Dilandau talking to him… right? "… Sir?" He took a few steps in Dilandau's direction, wondering if he'd get reprimanded for following him. He almost thought he wouldn't.
"What?" Even Dilandau's VOICE was passive as he wrenched open the door to his room, leaving it wide open for Dallet to follow. He didn't stop him, he didn't chastise him for following.
Dallet stepped cautiously into Dilandau's room, wondering if there was some sort of surprise attack coming up. "… This is probably not my place to say it… again… but… you are even more out of character than normal…"
"Is this a bad thing?" Dilandau stripped off his long-sleeve white shirt, trading it in for a black tank top.
"… I don't know… I don't think so…" Dallet said unsurely. "It doesn't seem to be, right now… You are less angry… Which is always a good thing…"
"You're babbling, Dallet." Unsnapping his belt, Dilandau laid his sword on his bed, leaving it there. "And I'm a little distracted, as you can tell."
Dallet quickly bowed. "Right! Sorry, sir!" He apologized, and noticed that Dilandau was dressing… fairly casually. He didn't even make a motion to put his sword back on. "… Where are you going, Dilandau-sama?" He asked bluntly. Normally he would've left the question unasked, but he felt like he could get away with asking, and it was better to be blunt than babble.
Dilandau seemed torn, part of him wanting to answer, the other part wanting to tell Dallet to leave him alone. He let the dominant side form his words. "…I'm leaving for a little while. There are a few things I need to set right."
"… Ah. I see." Dallet said solemnly. Things to set right… He had plenty of those. "Best of luck, then, sir!" Dallet bowed again. All the bowing reminded him too much of Kitsune. He quickly straightened himself and strode from the room.
"Dallet! Get back in here!" Dilandau barked, adopting his trademark commander voice.
Dallet went pale, but rushed back into the room, wondering if he was going to get hit NOW. "Yes, sir?"
"It's pretty obvious you need to fix a few things yourself…" Dilandau stared hard into Dallet's eyes. "Fix them. And that's an order." With that, he shooed Dallet away, having more important things on his mind.
X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X
Dallet had been given the order to fix things, and yet, he could not make the motions to when he saw Kitsune at dinner. He only ate and stared at his own plate of food until the last bite was gone. Once that was done, he took small sips of his drink until that, too, was gone. All through the meal he though he could feel her eyes peering into him as he ignored her. He could feel the pain echoing from her, and along with that came Dilandau's order. 'Fix them.' Dallet had the power to make it all better if he would only talk.
He heard her chair make noise on the floor as she stood up and made a slow exit. At any point in that moment he could have fixed things. But he let her slip away.
"Hey, Dallet…? Are you in there, somewhere?"
"… What?" He asked gloomily.
"Wowwww… Mr. Moody, right here…" Guimel replied. "What's up with you?"
"My God, Guimel, you are dense…!" Dallet stood, then, and left the large table.
He did what he usually did when he had to sort out his thoughts. He went for a walk. There was nothing to sort, but he went on that walk, anyway, as though he had to sort out something. He knew what he had to do; it was just a matter of actually doing it. And the second Kitsune was by him, he froze. Like an unseen power threw up his blank soldier face and forced it to remain there. Suddenly he was cold and expressionless, even if he knew Kitsune was begging to hear him say something. He was neglecting her, just like Toshiyo. He'd only done it through dinner and he felt like dying. How did Toshiyo manage to pull it off for four-and-a-half years?
His body ran into something soft and short. He had to look down to find the dark crown of Kitsune's head. "… Excuse me." He said gruffly, and stepped to the side. Kitsune moved with him, and he despised the way his voice sounded as he asked, "What is it, Kitsune?" … Like she was a waste of his time.
She looked up at him with that same teary, angry look that made him want to break down and become enslaved by her, if that would make her feel better. Her voice came out strained. "Toshiyo is the bad one here and now you're acting just like him."
Dallet already knew that. He didn't need to hear it from her. "… Drop it, Kitsune. Before it all gets out of hand again." He said coldly, and moved away coldly, taking one heavy step after the other in order to leave. He could hear the shaken breathing that escaped her, but he could not find it in himself to go back. His mask was stuck on too well. But Dallet's mask could not make him stop in his tracks when Kitsune spoke again.
"Toshiyo, I am so scared and you are no where near me. I miss you. …Do you miss me back?"
She was reading the letter to him. That disgusting letter that Dallet wished he'd never found…! It ruined everything. Why was Kitsune reading it to him? Dallet listened to the torn sadness in her voice… it was a tone he'd somehow overlooked, or at least watered down a great deal. It seemed much more painful when she read it. As she asked Toshiyo that fateful question, 'Do you miss me back?' Dallet could feel the hopelessness drip from her voice. She knew the answer already… Toshiyo didn't miss her, at all.
"…I want you to be there watching me… Even if you don't like it…" Kitsune's voice cracked under the last sentence, and Dallet turned to look at her. She was even reading the parts she'd scratched out, trying to forget…! She looked like she was suffering already, but she pressed on, and Dallet let her.
"Dallet is a wonderful man. He's been the friendliest of all the people here so far, and he's always making sure that I'm okay and happy…" At last a drop of happiness dripped from her voice. Dallet could see the small smile curl her lips as she went on about how he treated her. It made him want to smile, too. The days before Dallet knew of Toshiyo… Those were the better days. It was fun to look back on them because Dallet felt he had a chance, then…
"Toshiyo my heart is breaking…" Kitsune killed the happiness, and Dallet wanted it back. As foolish as that might have been, he wanted to forget everything about Toshiyo. Dallet watched her blink back her tears and continue.
"We never bonded. I continued checking out other guys and melting over them and you kept…" Kitsune paused. Dallet waited with baited breath, knowing the answer, wanting and not wanting to hear it at the same time. "… neglecting me, and making me feel UNWANTED and completely UNLOVED!" She screamed brokenly, the tears escaping the eyes she shut in her desperate explosion. She went weak in the knees and dropped down, and Dallet felt himself take a few strides back to her. He was standing over her, looking down at the heartbroken lump at his feet.
"All I need to see is Dallet…!" Kitsune cried. "I'm SCARED because the man who makes the better boyfriend ISN'T the one I am dating…!" She choked on a sob. It made Dallet want to cry with her. He had been too caught up in his pain to really consider if Kitsune had a heart, and he knew Kitsune did. Kitsune had a very torn up heart. Dallet had refused to acknowledge it.
"… It still hurts. It still hurts because…" Kitsune had to stop and sniffled before the tears running down her would warp her voice into something incomprehensible. Dallet could finally feel his mask slipping. Here it was, the end of the letter. The ending Kitsune had been unable to write. "…Even though I'm not CHAINED to you anymore, I am SCARED…! Because Dallet is a SOLDIER… and I don't want… to have my heart break TWICE because he dies fighting…!"
The words hit Dallet hard. Dallet was a soldier. He'd been a soldier for so long he never stopped to think about dying in battle. If it happened, it happened. All he knew is that if he went out like that, it would be a valiant, good death… he would not die running. But in all his years as a fighter, he never stopped and wondered what anyone else would think about it. Not his family, not his friends. Not even the idea of leaving a woman he loved behind. But it hit him now, and he finally cast his warrior's mask away.
Kitsune had tossed the letter aside, and lay in the dirt, no longer needed. She was screaming in her tormented sadness. "I DON'T WANNA SEE HIM DIE IN MY HEAD OR IN REAL LIFE! I DON'T WANT HIM TO LEAVE ME ALL ALONE!" And at last she was done. There was nothing more to say. She'd made her position known, and that was all she wanted to do. Whether Dallet forgave her or not was not her concern. She just wanted him to know where she stood.
It was so quiet around her she almost wondered if Dallet had even taken the time to hear her. The idea of him not even giving her the time to talk made her heart sink to the ground before her, but then she heard the broken breathing of a man struggling in tears. She looked up and found that Dallet had dropped to his knees beside her, and tears were indeed flowing down his face. "Kitsune…" He could only stare at her for a moment, not knowing what to say first… Dallet gave up. "Come here…" He held open his arms and let Kitsune fall into him, wrapping them about her as she sniffled and tried to regain composure. "… I don't know what to do… I can't promise to not die… It would be unfair to ask you to risk it… What can I do? I am miserable, Kitsune…" Indeed, what could he do? All he knew was that he didn't want to remain in this position: Wanting Kitsune but putting so much at stake if he decided to be with her. He listened to her softly apologize, feeling the despair flow from her to mingle with his melancholy. "We're both miserable… But… Kitsune… if I died tomorrow, you'd mourn me like we were together, anyway… If I die… I hurt you, anyway…" That was true. Even if they did nothing about their situation, and let it run like how it was… If Dallet died tomorrow… Kitsune would die inside.
"… I don't win, do I?" Kitsune asked miserably.
"… Only if I don't die." Dallet said bitterly. He'd been trained to expect to die, and now here he was, hoping to remain alive like an average person would! "Does the Oracle know something I don't…?" He was afraid of the answer.
Kitsune held on to him tightly, as though he was going to vanish the second she said it. "… I've been having bad visions… The one of Okami killing you… hasn't left me, yet…" Her voice cracked. "The vision doesn't show you dead, but how am I supposed to feel if I keep seeing a sword coming down on you and you're too weak to block in time? How do I take that?"
Dallet let out a despairing sigh, his embrace tightening. "… I don't know what to do, then…"
Kitsune snapped. She'd finally hit rock bottom now, crying in Dallet's arms… She could go no lower… There was nowhere to go but up. She almost wondered if she'd gone crazy, filled with unfounded bravery. But she had nowhere else to go but up. "… Do me a favor…" She said quietly, the tears in her voice gone.
"… What?"
"… Ask me to risk it." Kitsune demanded quietly, yet boldly. Yes, she was sure she'd gone mad. But it felt better that way. She would rather throw all caution to the wind than be stuck here, running away from pain and creating her own web of loneliness.
She could feel Dallet's body tense up at the request. "Kitsune… I can't…" He froze up more when Kitsune threw herself against him desperately.
"Onegai…!" Kitsune begged, her voice pleading and hopeful.
Dallet tilted her chin up to find her blushing… It was the most adorable thing in the world to him. All he needed to do was wipe away her tears… He did so. And then he said, just above a whisper, "Kitsune… please risk it…"
"… I will!" Kitsune cried, and their lips met to seal the promise in a long-needed kiss.
X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X
"Here's your room, Okami. You should get some sleep." Allen showed her to the room awarded by Dryden Fassa. "You're not rooming with Millerna, so her snoring shouldn't keep you awake!"
Chuckling, Okami shooed Allen out of her room. "I'll bear that in mind. Thanks Allen." With a final goodnight, she closed her door, pressing her back against it.
The light of the moons filtered in through the enormous bay windows, casting dark shadows across the room. Sighing, Okami threw down her bag and flopped clumsily onto her bed, burying her face in her pillow as an attempt to drown out everything around her, to silence all the emotions. A brooding storm was growing inside her chest; she could feel it.
A foreign sensation began to pound in the back of her head, and Okami bolted upright, casting wide eyes about the room. She wasn't alone.
Making a dive for her sword, she spun to glare into the shadows, holding the glowing steel blade before her. "Another assassination attempt, Dilandau?" She hissed.
"…How could you tell I was here?" A familiar voice permeated from the darkness.
"Your hair was a giveaway." Okami said, indicating the moonlight shining off Dilandau's platinum hair. "It doesn't exactly blend in with the shadows." When Dilandau stepped into the light, Okami's eyes wandered over his body, only to find that he wasn't carrying a weapon of any kind.
Her momentary deviation of eye contact was all the invitation Dilandau needed. Rushing forward, he dodged her blade. Like lightning, Okami's hands were pinned, a hand was clamped over her mouth, and her sword clanged on the floor. "Please don't scream." He begged, an obvious anxiety dripping from his broken voice. "Please don't make me leave… not until I say what I've come here to say."
Okami couldn't help it, but she felt her stunned body relax against his, seeing the desperation in his eyes. His hand slowly fell away from her mouth, and she sucked in a deep breath. "What do you want?" She bit out, not liking how her voice would quake under those eyes of his.
Dilandau faltered, the speech having been planned out, and yet words utterly failed him. Under her harsh glare, his nerve was dissolving by the second.
"Well?" She pressed. "Why are you here! Is it to bring me back to the Black Dragon Clan so you can win your precious WAR!"
"No!" Dilandau began to panic as her anger intensified, knowing that his words would sound better to her if she were calm. He struggled to say more, syllables catching in his throat, and froze with Okami's next outburst
"WHY are you here!" She cried.
"I'm trying to bring you BACK to me!" Dilandau blurted. The words just tumbled out. Great. Could nothing go according to plan tonight?
Okami felt as though anything stable in her life had suddenly fallen away. The foundation she had so painstakingly began erecting since the second she came to Gaea shattered. "…Nani…?" She breathed, voice tiny and frail, and heart pounding.
"Okami…" Dilandau bit back his pride, crushing his mask as it fought to return to him. "I never wanted to hurt you… not then… not now… not ever. For that reason… I don't want you to EVER return to the Black Dragon Clan." Dilandau took a step closer when Okami didn't respond; she just stared at him with wide, confused eyes. "Okami I want to protect you when you're afraid…not make it worse."
"Dilandau…" Okami felt her heart fluttering, wondering why it felt so good to hear him say that, but she quickly shook her head. She burst to tell him everything, to just pour out her fears and cry them away. "I can't… no one can help me now…" She said, more to herself than to him.
A pain echoed in Dilandau's heart. "Why not? Why can't I help you?" He reached out for her, but stopped before touching her when her gaze dropped to the floor.
"Because… I feel as though Okami doesn't exist anymore. Everyday it's like I'm consumed even more by the blackness in my heart. Soon I will be broken until there's nothing left but darkness… corruption…"
Sighing, Dilandau pulled Okami into a tight embrace, cradling her against him. "Okami… don't talk like that."
"You don't understand… Soon I will have to summon my Spirit, Aeopyx… He'll take me over… just like he did the Black Guardian."
Part of Okami wondered why she was letting Dilandau hold her like this. After all, he had tried to kill her, right? But it was if now he was different. Okami finally began to believe that he didn't mean her any harm. She gripped the back of his shirt, burying her face in his neck and breathing in his warm scent, enjoying the feeling of him running his fingers through her hair. Nothing could have felt better.
The pain in Dilandau's heart was almost unreal. "Maybe you won't have to fight…" He whispered, letting his fingers involuntarily brush through her flaxen curls. "Maybe there's another way…"
"I want to believe that Dilandau, truly I do. But…"
"Sshh." Dilandau hushed her, pulling her back to cradle her face in his hands, gazing into her hazel pools. "I don't want to hear anymore about darkness. For now…" With his thumb, Dilandau brushed away Okami's falling tear. "Don't cry. There's nothing else but me… here with you. And you're safe now."
Tears of a different kind began to well in Okami's wide eyes. No man had ever held her like this before. No man had ever comforted her like this. She wanted nothing more than to just melt into Dilandau, to become one with his loving eyes, his warm smile… but perhaps she could settle for the next best thing…
Slowly, Okami swept a hand through his platinum locks, watching them drape carelessly across his cheek. His gentle eyes held a plea, as if he wanted something so badly, but was terrified to ask. Okami knew exactly what that something was. She gently touched his cheek, sweeping aside his hair with her thumb, guiding him to what he wanted.
Their lips met, sealing the pair in a passionate, tender embrace.
Dilandau's senses were aflutter. Everything else in the room had completely dissolved, and all he could feel was Okami, her warm lips against his, her heart beating against his chest. He held her so tightly, hoping that this moment would never end.
But it did, rather abruptly. A loud knock sounded from Okami's door, and the two were immediately robbed the magical afterglow of their first kiss.
Panicking, Okami dragged Dilandau to the door, pushing him behind it. She stood for a moment, eyes wide and searching her mind quickly for a solution to their very bad predicament.
"Okami!" Allen's voice bellowed. "Okami is everything alright in there?"
Quickly, Okami roughly smeared her hands across her hair, messing it up horribly. She quickly adopted a very sleepy look on her face and opened the door.
"Okami?" Allen breathed a steady sigh of relief. "Is everything ok? Gaddes said he heard a man's voice coming from in here."
A very convincing look of sleepy confusion crossed her face. "A voice? What voice?"
Allen nodded. "He must have been dreaming again. Sorry to have woken you, Okami."
"No biggie." Faking a wide yawn, Okami closed her door, and then breathing a deep sigh, she leaned heavily against the door.
Dilandau couldn't help but smile. "So?" He said, grabbing her by the waist and pulling her close. "Where were we?"
Okami chuckled. "Right here."
They picked up where they left off, this time they weren't interrupted.
To Be Continued…