Wow, sorry about the long wait guys, i've been working so much i want to DIE!. Well anyway, here's chapters13 and 14. Hope you enjoy!

Girl in Gaea: The Untold Story

By Brenli and AmetrineButterfly

Chapter 14

It felt like slow torturous hours were slipping by as Kitsune fought to blink back tears and deftly clean Dallet's wound. She had to do quite a bit of pressing to get various doctors to let her take care of him… it took proving her skill by cleaning and dressing another soldier's wound, first. At last they let her in and she immediately set to work, watching Dallet struggle to breathe. "Yamatte… Rest for now… Don't push it…" she kept murmuring to him, until he finally slipped away into slumber.

Kitsune tried stitching the skin back together but the thread was cheap and fragile, and she didn't trust it for a second, so after doing the best she could, she took out the soft, white gauze and bandages and wrapped it up.

At last she was done. Dallet was looking awfully pale due to the lack of blood, but she knew that after plenty of rest he would be fine.

"Kitsune?"

Her head shifted only slightly toward Gatti's voice.

"Okami's funeral takes place tomorrow evening. I knew you would want to know…"

"… Thank you." She tried to say as calmly as possible, but her voice still cracked under tears.

"… I'd imagine you want time alone… Is Dallet doing okay?"

"… He should be."

"Okay, then…" Gatti left.

And Kitsune gently laid her head on his chest, listening to the steady heartbeat that echoed inside. She sent up the silent statement that Okami should have a heartbeat, too. To her, it was only fair.

But life wasn't fair. Life was indifferent to who deserved what, and life didn't care that Okami had spent so much time feeling lonely and unloved. Life didn't care that Okami deserved to remain a living girl, equipped with her own steady heartbeat.

Kitsune was willing to believe that Dallet's heartbeat was a mere fluke, that it only existed because life was so indifferent to humanity that sometimes the outcome actually turned out favorable. But it wasn't a shred of mercy. Life didn't really care, after all.

Kitsune thought all this and she cried and cried, letting her tears soak into the bandages she gently laid her head on. And after what felt like hours she felt the gentle stroking of fingers in her hair. She opened her tearstained eyes and Dallet was looking down at her, pale and tired. Then she felt his chest pressing against her cheek. He was trying to sit up.

"Yamatte…"

"It's okay, it's okay…" Dallet's voice croaked as he gingerly sat up, his fingers still stroking her hair.

Kitsune swiped at her tear-covered cheeks in spite of the fact that more tears were beginning to spill. "Okami isn't…"

Dallet nodded slowly. "I know… I know."

"… It's not right."

"I know it's not…" Dallet held his arms open, beckoning her to him, and she gently fell into the embrace, careful not to touch his wound. And Kitsune cried and cried, and Dallet knew that no words would comfort her, so he said nothing as she let the tears run.

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The funeral held for Okami was as honorable a funeral as could be possible. It was a funeral held for war heroes, for indeed Okami was one.

It had taken all of the previous night and most of that morning for the tears to finally leave Kitsune's system, but simply because she could not cry did not imply that she was any less sad.

Dallet was also there for the funeral, though it had been advised that he remain bedridden for the next two days. "I probably owe Okami this much, even if she was the one who wounded me." He had used these words as an excuse, and the very mentioning of Okami's name was enough to give him the right to attend.

Kitsune now watched was they gently laid Okami's body down on the funeral altar reserved for war heroes. It was exquisitely carved with stone of light and dark shades, and at each end stood a small statue of a woman. There was a light one with bat wings and a dark one with phoenix wings… They were statues of the first Light and Dark Star.

Looking at Okami, one would have thought she was the Light Star. She had been dressed in white, and looked hauntingly beautiful as she lay there.

Dilandau came forth wearing clothing of the same black color as everyone else's. It made him look very tired… or maybe he hadn't really gotten any sleep the previous night, anyway. He spoke long and eloquent sentences, and at first he maintained the commanding, professional tone he used so often, but eventually his voice became softer, sadder. Kitsune wondered if Dilandau just didn't CARE if anyone thought he'd gone soft. Why should he, anyway? He loved Okami.

Kitsune knew that it wasn't a very well known fact. Dilandau and Okami being involved in any way. Kitsune had been one of the few who had been able to know that, but as Dilandau laid an elaborate blanket over her body, and paused just a short moment before gently covering her face, she was sure it became obvious to everyone else.

Soon, they were going to burn Okami's body, and send her spirit into the Heavens.

"We send now the spirit of a brave hero up into Heaven's embrace…" Dilandau said the sacred words flawlessly, but in no way did it sound mechanical. He held a torch in each hand. "… and may Heaven take your courageous soul, Okami the Dark Star… we thank you for your valiant heart…"

Kitsune almost wanted to close her eyes, but then Dilandau held out one of the two torches toward her.

"I request the presence of the Light Star to send away the Dark Star… it is fitting… Okami would want it."

The request made Kitsune's skin crawl, but she stepped forward with as noble a face as she could muster and took the torch, standing at the end of the altar with the Light Star statue, Dilandau taking the other end. She supposed that in other events, the Light and Dark Star sent off the souls of other brave heroes… she imagined that in all technicality, sending off a Light or Dark Star was viewed as unnatural, something that the people of Gaea prayed would never happen.

"Do you know the words?" Dilandau asked in a half-whisper.

"I was told them before."

"Recite them with me, then."

And they did, holding up their torches and speaking to the sky. "O take this good soul, Heaven. In return for saving this great land we pray her journey be without peril, and may her name be forever remembered in the hearts and minds of all Gaea."

They brought their torches down just then, letting them rest in carved grooves, the flames lighting lines of liquid that ran along the edges of the altar and toward the center, lighting the blanket quickly. "Sayonara, Okami-chan… we love you." Kitsune added her own ending to the formal, practiced words of the funeral. Dilandau offered no parting words of his own, but Kitsune did not expect any, as it was. Dilandau did not seem to be a man of many words, if he could help it… and so she said included him when she spoke of love. It didn't matter if his love was of a different kind. It was still love.

Kitsune felt two silent tears drip down her solemn face, and she looked up. Dilandau was nodding in approval of Kitsune's addition to the sacrificial speech, and he had a single tear of his own to flow down his soldier face. It was the only tear anyone saw on him, but Kitsune was willing to believe that his sorrow was heavier than anyone else's.

And she was right. Dilandau had never known such pain. As the funeral ended, he found nothing else more important than retreating to the darkest, emptiest room he could find. He found himself in his bedroom. Shutting the door, he pressed his back to it, sliding down to the floor in a melancholy slump. His silver hair fell into his red eyes as a few more tears fell.

"No more…" He muttered. The war was over, and this place held far too many memories for his comfort. It was time for him to quit this life of combat and death. Now couldn't be a better time. He missed his mother, his sisters… it was time to rectify that.

And maybe, just maybe… the joy of being with his family again, could eventually dull the pain of her death…

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"Damn it… I'm so lightheaded…" Dallet murmured to himself as he flopped down onto his bed.

"Well, you weren't supposed to be at the funeral, remember…" Kitsune replied as she crawled onto the bed with him, sitting up for now as she offered him a sip of some broth meant to help him sleep.

"This is terrible, Kitsune… Here you are after all you've done, having to take care of me like I'm some old man… I'm supposed to be protecting you." Dallet felt his ego crumbling.

"There's nothing to protect me from… and I don't mind taking care of you. I don't know how much time I have left here, anyway."

Dallet had to look away for a moment. That thought had struck him during the funeral, as he watched Kitsune lay down her torch. There was no war to fight, anymore. With Gaea not needing any protection, the Spirit Stars were no longer needed and they would often leave without warning. Any second now, Kitsune could disappear, and he might not ever see her again.

The thought scared Dallet. Gatti, Guimel, Shesta… they all were firmly against the idea of falling in love. It wasn't about childish boyhood at all, but it was about fear and loneliness. As soldiers, and young ones, no less, they tended to get lonely and the idea of falling in love with a girl always sounded wonderful. But there were too many fears attached to this one small comfort. There were no women around, most of the time. Okami and Kitsune were the only girls to stay with them for as long as they had. This meant that the Dragon Cavalry could usually only pursue relationships with girls from other places and create long-distance relationships. The longing would be maddening, and on top of that, the girl could leave the soldier at the drop of a hat, without even telling him. Or worse, the soldier could die with an aching heart, and leave the girl broken and crying.

It was too much unnecessary pain for a soldier, and a source of weakness, so the idea of love, no matter how lonely a soldier got, was quickly dismissed as impossible. Up until Kitsune fell into his life, Dallet had been the same way. And up until Okami fell into Dilandau's, Dilandau himself had been one of the strongest enforcers of this soldier philosophy on love.

Dallet's mouth lifted into an amused smirk. Things sure did change, didn't they?

"What's so funny?" Kitsune asked quietly, innocently.

Dallet looked at her with laughter in his eyes. He knew Kitsune wouldn't believe him when he told her. "You know… I used to hate the idea of being with someone."

"… Liar." Kitsune smirked back at him.

And Dallet enjoyed that smirk. It meant that he was taking her away from the pain for a short while… "What makes you think I'm lying?"

"If you hated the idea of being with someone, why were you so friendly with me right from the start, Dallet? Don't look at me like that." Kitsune referred to his arched brow. "You were hitting on me almost immediately. Before you even knew my name. Therefore, I say you are lying."

"Oh, but I'm not lying! A lot of us here don't like relationships!"

"There's too much at stake for military men, right? It makes sense, but I still think that you didn't HATE the idea."

"Oh, but I did."

"Then what makes me special?"

Dallet smiled and shrugged, sipping on his broth. "Most of the girls we get the chance to interact with aren't like you, you know. They're usually bolder women, and immoral, honestly. Trying to get with us for a one night stand. What they don't know is that deep down, a soldier wants a real relationship with a strong, dedicated girl. Then you come in with these HUGE scared eyes and acting all timid."

"So?"

"So… it was different. It was cute."

Kitsune laughed, covering her mouth with her lacy fan. "And that compelled you to hit on me whether you liked it or not?"

"Yes, you FORCED me, how COULD you?" Dallet laughed with her, but it came out a little weak. Laughing too hard made his chest hurt a bit. "… No. I guess I just thought, 'there's a girl who isn't cut out for this place, and I'd like to help her feel stable here, so I think I'll be extra friendly.' It became REAL flirting when I thought, 'and she's a CUTE girl, too.'"

"So my cuteness is what changed your ENTIRE perspective on relationships? I still think you're lying. My first impression of you was that you were a playboy and you enjoyed pulling on weak women's heart strings. So there." Kitsune grinned at him.

"If I recall correctly it really did feel like you were the one pulling more heart strings than I was, Kitsune." Dallet tapped her nose. "Remember that."

Kitsune's smiles became lost in a half-ashamed expression. "You know I was scared."

"I know. But I forgive you because I care that much." Dallet laid back on the pillows and pressed a kiss on the dark crown of Kitsune's head as she laid with him. They were silent for a long while, awake, but with eyes closed. "… I don't know why I decided to risk it for you. I just think you're worth it…"

To Kitsune, it felt as though Dallet had more that he wanted to say, but he said nothing more. "Dallet…?"

"Mmm?"

"When you got hit… and I came to you… you told me that you loved me."

Dallet really did love her, too. His words hadn't been delusional lies, but rather delusional truths. Believing that he was near to dead made him want to be honest with her… no more fears… there hadn't been any time for fears, so he just let it flow all out. And since he'd said it he had thought heavily on it. And the more he thought on it… the more intense his feelings became. He loved Kitsune. He loved Kitsune since the day she read her letter to him. No, he loved Kitsune since the day he helped her draw her sword. But then he thought about it now… and no. He had loved Kitsune since the day she fell into his life, scared and lonely; yes, lonely, though she had lived in façade of love and care.

"… And I meant it. Every word." Dallet whispered to her. "I don't care if it ends up hurting me… I can't help how I feel. I love you."

Kitsune moved to look down at him. There was a mixture of heartbreak and happiness on her face as she gazed down at him, and she whispered these words before she pressed a kiss to his lips. "I want you to know… no matter how far away I am, I will wait for you… I love you."

The two fell asleep to this sweet note, laced in melancholy, and when the first rays of the morning sun slipped into Dallet's bedroom, the soldier stirred and opened his eyes slowly, squinting against the bright light. He could barely see through it at first, but after a while, the soldier's eyes adjusted, and he smiled with traces of bitterness and sadness in his eyes. The soldier's strong, dedicated girl was no longer with him.

To be continued…