Girl in Gaea: The Untold Story
By Brenli and AmetrineButterfly
Chapter 16
SEVERAL MONTHS LATER…
Okami fished her keys from her pocket, balancing her large paper bag of groceries on her hip with one arm. "Damn it." She mumbled, finally extracting her keys and opening the front door of her house. "Kitsune? Kitsune-chan are you home?"
"Hai!" Kitsune could be heard faintly as she rushed forth, tying her hair up in a high pony tail. "I told someone I'd help them spar today, but I'm running late." She said as she rested her simple katana on her shoulder.
"Nice. Are you liking kendo class?" Okami made idle conversation as she headed towards the kitchen, setting the bag of groceries on the counter.
"Definitely!" Kitsune chirped. "Better than volleyball. I'm telling you, Okami-chan, you should sign up for it. We can dominate the class together."
Okami shook her head, her freshly dyed black lowlights swinging. "I've had enough fighting for one lifetime. I'll stick to my paintings." She waved towards the living room, where it wasn't much of a living room anymore. Sheets covered the furniture; three easels were set up, one empty, two supporting paintings. Canvases both clean and painted upon were leaning against the covered furniture. In essence, it was evidence of her recent creative explosion.
"Finish up anything today?" Kitsune asked casually as she approached the easels, figuring that she could afford to be a little later than she already was. She was supposed to be sparring with a beginner, a boy that had very obviously developed a crush on Kitsune. But there was only one person for Kitsune now, so she didn't care if she kept him waiting. If he really wanted to spar, and not ogle her, he'd call her.
"I finished the piece that looks like Aeopyx, it's sitting near the window." She pointed to the larger canvas facing away from the two of them, drying in the light of the sun.
"Sugoi…" Kitsune said as she stepped up to the window, soaking up the rays of light that shone down. "… You know? It's too nice a day to spend it sparring in the dojo…"
"… Are you thinking about cutting? Because I really could use some sushi right now." Okami smiled.
"Oooooooh sushi…!" Kitsune could practically feel her stomach ache with a sudden hunger pang. "… Yeah. I'm definitely skipping out today." Kitsune disappeared for a short moment to put her sword back in it's display case, and she skipped back into the room. "If you're ready to head out, I am."
"In a minute, I have to change." She indicating the school uniform that she still wore. After a few minutes, Okami reappeared, wearing a simple black tank top, and blue jeans. Her typical outfit. "Ok, let's go." Smiling, the two girls left.
Their favorite sushi bar, like most places they enjoyed, were within three blocks of their house. They walked in and were promptly served, which was the best thing about this sushi bar. Kitsune made it a point to sit by a window, so that the sun could bathe her over in warmth while she ate. But she also wanted to sit there so she could look up at the sky and daydream, like she tended to do these days. The other students in her kendo class accused her of misplacing her brain in another place. It wasn't that. She had misplaced her heart, though. But at least Okami probably understood, and that was enough for Kitsune. "… Hey, Okami-chan…" She said before taking a bite of her sushi and turning her eyes up to the sky.
"Yeah?" Okami said, voice muffled from her mouth full of sushi.
"… Ever wonder what they're doing right now?" She asked vaguely, but she knew Okami would know just who Kitsune was thinking of. Didn't Okami think of them, too?
Okami frowned, training her eyes to her plate of sushi. "All the time… Sometimes I wish I could just turn my brain off, so I wouldn't have to think of him so much. I just wish there was some way I could let him know that I'm alright… to let ALL of them know that I'm alright… Not that many would really care…"
"Oh shush." Kitsune said between bites of her sushi. "It's not like many people really knew me, either, so I doubt there is a massive cult of people missing me… And they aren't really of my concern right now, anyway… Just a couple people… and that's it." She finished softly. "How long has it been since we left…? Do you think… they might have moved on?"
Okami shrugged. "Part of me hopes so, yet another part knows that if I ever saw him again, and he had someone else… I would die inside. But I can't really expect him to wait for me, can I? I guess you could think the same about Dallet…" She took another healthy bite of sushi. "As time passes, I find things are becoming easier. The pain inside of me grows weaker all the time. I'm hoping that some day it'll be nothing more than a dull throb."
"… Maybe." Kitsune said quietly. "Sometimes… I don't know if I really want it to get weaker like that… It does. But I don't know if I want it to... You know what I did, the night before I left? I promised I would wait for him…" She paused and stared at the sky for a moment. "… Do you think that might have been a stupid decision…?"
"I don't know… I don't know how we could ever go back. But you have to be true to yourself… how can you love someone else when you can't seem to let go of another?"
Kitsune laughed sadly. "God… I know I can't let go."
Okami fell silent, suddenly uninterested in eating her sushi. She poked lightly at it. "I would give anything to go back there… If only there was a way."
"Hmm… close our eyes and make a wish…?" Kitsune laughed again. "If only, huh? I'd show Dallet my hair… I wonder if he's changed at all…!" She ran her fingers through her hair, which she'd cut into a series of layers to frame her face. She toyed with a lock idly. "… I almost… SERIOUSLY want to try closing my eyes and making a wish…"
The Dark Star toyed with her own altered locks, freshly dyed black in streaks, offering a striking contrast to her already white-blonde hair. "Yeah… let's do it!" Smiling, she held out both her hands. "Let's give it a try, what could it hurt? Let's wish on a star… that we can't see…"
Kitsune had to giggle at that. "Ready?" She closed her eyes.
"Yeah." Okami closed her eyes as well, but before any of them could say anything, the tremors of the earth began shaking the sushi bar.
"… What? Oh, great…" Kitsune, who was accustomed to earthquakes thanks to her years in Japan, motioned to Okami to get up and move away from the low table they were seated at to seek refuge in one of the doorways, for the tables were simply TOO low to crawl under. But the earthquake was harsh and merciless and the two girls tripped and fell. Kitsune wasn't sure if Okami was okay, but Kitsune felt her head hit the sharp corner of another low table, and then her world went blank.
"Kitsune!" Okami crouched beside the fallen Kitsune, the earthquake steadily getting worse. "Damn it!" She yelled, seeing the wound on Kitsune's forehead. "Someone get… help?" Confused, Okami looked around. Only seconds before, the sushi bar was teeming with people, and now it was completely deserted. Before Okami could puzzle over it, it seemed like everything was getting brighter. Everything got brighter and brighter, until the world was white, and then… black…
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
"… Pay attention! We're not camping for fun! We need to strategize."
"Well excuse me, Mr. New Boss-man…!"
Kitsune twitched and groaned to herself as she struggled to sit up. She felt the warmth of blood trickling down her face. "… Okami-chan…?" She tried to crawl forward in the darkness, her fingers gripping rough foliage and trying to push it aside.
"What's that?" A male voice asked with the tones of apprehension.
"Don't worry…" A familiar voice said, though the last time Kitsune had heard it, it hadn't permeated the air with such an authoritarian quality…
The sudden orange light from a campfire made Kitsune flinch and turn away, her dark hair falling over her face as she cowered before the flash of the blade of a sword pushing aside the leaves and twigs.
"… What…?"
"What is it, Mr. New Boss-man?"
"Shut up, Miguel!" 'Mr. New Bossman' snapped, and Kitsune felt the flat of the cold blade press against her cheek. It wasn't by any means an attempt to harm her, but she flinched again, and the blade bade her to turn her head. "… Hey, I'm not gonna hurt you… Your name?" Kitsune was afraid, even though the voice became soft around her, and her face was forced forward. However, her dark hair fell over her face. "Why won't you talk?" Then she felt a strong hand grip her chin and force her to look up.
His hair had grown longer, a few stray locks resting along his chest, and she guessed that the rest was tied back in a low ponytail. No longer was he dressed in grey, but instead he wore red and white… And surprisingly, he looked good in red, though she had never pictured him wearing it. And his eyes were the same brown eyes, gentle and kind to her. "… Dallet…"
That accent… that cute little accent that turned 'Dallet' into 'Dalléto'… "… Kitsune…!" Dallet quickly sheathed his sword and pushed her dark hair behind her ears. "… You're hurt…"
"Who cares?" Kitsune cried and embraced him.
"Whoa whoa whoa, wait, gah!" Dallet fell into the bush he'd come to check, and the laughter of the Dragon Cavalry grew.
"Hey, what the Hell are you doin', Boss-man, hitting on a village girl?"
"NO!" Dallet snarled, quickly coming to a stand and pulling Kitsune up with him.
She saw them all, wide-eyed, but smiling. "… It's the Light Star!" They all greeted. It had been so long since Kitsune had been referred to as the Light Star, but she didn't mind the title, this time. She smiled at them all and regarded them with a nod as Dallet pulled her close to him, feeling lost waves of happiness wash over her… "Wait a minute." Her dark eyes darted around, and then she pondered out loud, subconsciously twirling her fingers around lock of Dallet's longer hair and admiring the silkiness of it. "Where's Okami-chan?"
"… Okami?" Dallet said with an arched brow. "Kitsune… Okami died… a WHILE ago…"
"No, no she didn't!" Kitsune said gleefully. "You wouldn't believe it…! When I went back, she was there, Dallet!"
"Really?"
"Really! … There was an earthquake, today… That's where this came from…" She pointed to the wound on her head. "… And I guess that's why I'm here. But where's Okami-chan?"
Dallet listened to Kitsune babbled happily, confusion wrinkling his brow. Then his eyes widened with a sudden realization. "… Of course! Why didn't I think of that?"
"Think of what?"
"Kitsune… Gaea's on the verge of another war… So no wonder why you're here! The Light and Dark Stars are needed again!"
"… Well that's great… well, not the war part… but… you know what I mean…" Kitsune shook her head wildly. "That still doesn't help me figure out where Okami-chan is!"
"Don't worry your head off, Kitsune. I'm right here." Okami stepped out of the woods, an annoyed look plastered on her face, brushing dust from her clothes. "Suddenly I find that I REALLY don't like trees…"
"Oh, good!" Kitsune heaved a sigh of relief. "Some trip here, huh?" Kitsune tenderly touched her wound.
Okami was paying little attention to Kitsune, she was staring at Dallet's armor, a confused look plastered on her face. "Why are you wearing red?" She looked around. "Where's Dilandau?"
"Oh, about all this…"
"Dallet's our new Boss-man!" Chesta said, happily regarding Okami.
"… Dilandau told me he was through with warfare after you… left." Dallet said quietly, his arms still forming a ring around Kitsune. "So he gave me… a bit of a promotion. And he went home to his family, Okami."
The look on Okami's face betrayed her feelings. It was like her world just crumbled. "Oh… I… see…" She leaned against a tree, her hair falling forward when she gazed at the ground.
"Okami-chan…" Kitsune said sadly, feeling her heart ache in sympathy for Okami.
Then Dallet stepped forth. "Okami… I know the general area in which he lives. So if you want, I can give you directions. I can even get someone to escort you, if you'd like."
"Can you really?" Okami's eyes brightened, and her heart managed to leap, a sensation definitely foreign to her.
"Definitely." Dallet said with a confirmatory nod.
"I'll need a change of clothes… and a horse!"
"Well, the horse we can take of right here… Um… we really don't have any other clothes right HERE... Like, female clothes…"
"Well then give me money, so I can BUY clothes!"
"Um… okay…" It was only then that Dallet managed to fully pull himself away from Kitsune and go to a big bag, in which he dug around from a short moment. He pulled out a smaller, but bulky-looking bag and held it out to Okami, who gladly took it. "… Somehow, I don't remember you being this demanding when I first met you, Okami…"
"Well I died once… perhaps that was just me in a past life." Okami grinned, a bold smile that seemed all too alien to her, yet refreshing just the same. "I would actually prefer to go alone, though…"
Dallet nodded his understanding. "But be careful… Like I said, we're on the verge of war… if anyone recognizes you as the Dark Star, who knows what'll happen."
"I'll be alright. I'm not planning on making any detours…" Okami turned to Kitsune. "I'm sorry I'm leaving… but Kitsune… I HAVE to see him again."
Though Kitsune did feel a little disappointed the Okami was running off, she smiled and nodded. "That's okay. You gotta surprise your man! Imagine how happy he's gonna be!" Kitsune winked. "Have fun!"
"Gah. As long as he doesn't think he's crazy and poke me with a stick!" She giggled, and turned back to Dallet. "So, which way?"
Dallet held out his arm, looking as though he was indicating the path of the sun. "Follow the sunset until the forest turns into open fields. Keep going until you see red wheat fields, and turn north. He'll be five miles from you, then. Unfortunately I'm not sure what his home looks like, exactly, but it's a small farming community. Ask around. You'll find him."
"Thank you. I'll find him, and then meet up with you again as soon as I can!" She mounted her horse in a single, fluid motion.
"Good luck, Okami." Dallet smiled up at her, wrapping his arm around a blushing Kitsune's waist.
The Dragon Cavalry, with Kitsune, watched Okami as she sped off, quickly becoming a tiny figure disappearing with the sun. Kitsune smiled after her friend, and blushed twice as bad when she was suddenly trapped in Dallet's arms.
"Come here!" He commanded, and Kitsune went wide-eyed as he pressed a hungry kiss to her lips. "… There. I feel better." He said quietly, smiling.
"Wooooo! So how much of the show do WE get to see?"
"SHUT UP, SHEEP BOY!"
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
The sun had just begun to set over the vast field of red wheat, the music of children's laughter permeated the air. A woman with silver hair and a beautiful face hung laundry on a line to dry. Two young girls sat in the front yard of their large country house, braiding each others hair. Another girl of twelve was feeding the horses in their large paddock.
A short distance away, a strong young man with the same shocking silver hair as his sisters and mother stood chopping wood for the fire. He paused for a moment to wipe the sweat from his brow, smiling with content as he watched his family go about their activities. This was his true idea of peace.
"Dilandau! Dilandau!" A girl of sixteen ran her horse to Dilandau, with a panicked look on her tan face. "Dilandau there's a rider approaching, and she has weapons!"
'An attacker?' Dilandau thought to himself, and on instinct he adopted a demanding, protective tone and told her, "Get everyone in the house." As his sister quickly gathers up the children and told their mother what he wanted them to do, he took quick steps to the porch and took up his sword. He hadn't touched it in a while, but I fit into his grasp as though he'd never stopped using it. Dilandau brandished it and readied himself for any kind of stealthy attack, his red eyes peering about, searching for any sign of this apparent threat.
A rider on horseback soon appeared through the wheat, coming a steady pace, walking her horse. He couldn't see her face, all he could really see was her black and blonde curly hair. The rider stopped a distance away from Dilandau, halting her horse. Time seem to be suspended for a moment as she just stared at him, neither of them moving.
"What do you want?" Dilandau said warningly, holding his sword before him. "I'll KILL you before you do anything to my family!"
She didn't answer, but she dismounted her horse, and reached for her sword.
Dilandau didn't even think twice. He immediately charged after his supposed attacker, attempting to bring the blade of his sword down on this woman's head, but with great speed she dodged the blow easily.
She rolled out of the way, ducking under his arm and pulled off her sword, but with the scabbard still covering the blade underneath. "I have no quarrel with you!" She pleaded, meeting Dilandau's eyes for the first time.
Her eyes… her hazel eyes. Immediately Dilandau was reminded of Okami, the woman he had loved… the woman who had died, leaving him empty. As quickly as he thought of her, he dismissed that idea. Okami was dead. And nothing was going to change that. "… Get off of my land." He made a quick cutting motion in the air, pointing in the direction of which she came.
"…But-"
"Go."
"… Wait-"
"NOW!"
The woman paused, and those hazel eyes of her narrowed as a look of pure annoyance crossed her face. "Are you ALWAYS this paranoid?"
"I've come to believe that everyone in these times has ill intentions." Dilandau said coldly, the pessimism dripped from his mouth like venom.
The girl bit her lip, then the tiniest of light shone in her eyes, as though she had stumbled upon a fond, forgotten memory. She spoke softly, cautiously. "…When you're forced to think something for so long… you eventually begin to believe that it's the truth…"
Dilandau's red eyes blinked as he listened to that voice of hers say such words… they were the words of another… the words of Okami. And while he had never admitted it, these words had given him a sense of hope that no one but Okami could have created for him…
"But when you find that it's not… You can feel truly free for the first time in your life…" She smiled. "Ever heard that one before?"
"… No way…" Dilandau mumbled to himself, and when he spoke up he could only successfully form one word, a name. "… OKAMI?"
She smiled again, this time letting tears well in her eyes. "And here I thought you had forgotten me, already."
Dilandau lowered his sword, sheathed it, and let it drop, mumbling words. "But… dead… that doesn't make… I don't…" It didn't make sense, but there she was. Her hair was streaked in black, but it was still the same Okami he had fallen in love with. Looking up, he caught the fading sunlight playing off the tears pooling at her eyes. "… Don't do that…!" He rushed forth and scooped her up into his arms, squeezing her in a comforting manner.
"I would stop if I could… I missed you so much. It killed me, everyday, knowing that I could never tell you that I was alright." Okami sighed. "I don't know how it happened, but the last thing I remembered was the blade in my chest, and then when I woke up, I was on earth, with Kitsune again."
Dilandau pressed soft kisses on Okami's forehead in another attempt at comforting her. "It was… so painful. Every single second it was like… God, I couldn't go on, Okami… And that's why I left the Dragon Cavalry. But I know you're alive, now… God, that's all I could ever ask for!" And he kissed her again, this time brushing the soft kiss over her lips.
"I don't ever want to leave again… I love you, Dilandau, I always have. Even when you were a complete jackass to me." Okami smiled, kissing him back softly.
"Jackass, huh?" Dilandau chuckled and pressed a hungrier, needier kiss on her. "Well I've always loved you, too… No matter how bitchy you were!"
"Hey! I was NEVER bitchy!"
"Please." Dilandau laughed, still embracing her. "Well it doesn't matter. The point is that I love you." And he kissed her once again. "… Wanna meet my family?"
"Of course I do, but I have to return to Kitsune and the other DragonSlayers soon… there's another war starting…"
"That's Gaea for you… we'll never last a year without a war. But at least one good thing comes out of it."
Okami arched a brow. "What's that?"
"It means you'll eventually come back to me over and over again."
"Well then I know that I can live with being the Dark Star, so long as you'll always be here, waiting for me."
The pair smiled to each other, took the other's hand, and walked inside the house.
THE END!
Author Notes:
From AmetrineButterfly – HO my gawd everyone, it's been real, but we're all finished. There's really no chance for a sequel, because a sequel would be lame. So the GIG project has finally come to a close. Thank everyone, and good night!
From Brenli – LITERALLY 'good night'; it's 11:52 P.M. here where we're at! I, from the bottom of my lil bitty heart, thank you for sticking through this with us. It's been tough. Ametriney and I have LIVES and so it's hard to keep hitting you up with updates. But you believed in us, yay! So thankee!
LONG LIVE DALLET'S NAKED GLORY!