DISCLAIMER: Final Fantasy VI and its characters are wholly the properties of Square Enix. This story is written purely for entertainment and not profit.

AUTHOR'S NOTES: Two characters down, twelve more to go. This chapter will combine two together because…well, the reason should be pretty obvious. Enjoy!

Resolutions

Written by daBOSSz

Chapter 3: Relm and Shadow

Relm took time every week to pay the Thamasa cemetery a visit, and although she had already done it earlier this week, it felt proper for her to do so again on this day before she left for Figaro. After all, her guests mentioned their desire to pay their own respects while they were in town, and she would never consider denying them such a wish.

Buried side by side were two men who died with honor: one who had always fought with it and one who had reclaimed it. Relm, Cyan, and Setzer first approached the left gravestone: General Leo Christophe.

Each said a few words to give their respects to the fallen general. Even Cyan, who had long since buried the hatchet with the once imperial commander, showed nothing but kindness. In the years that Leo had rested in Thamasa, his former enemies kept his burial site well-maintained and made sure that his dignity and sacrifice were never forgotten.

The same could also be said for the person buried next to him. The three turned their attention to the gravestone on the right with a two-line name marked in clear, capital letters:

CLYDE ARROWNY

"SHADOW"

"Dad," Relm spoke first. "I'm just letting you know that I'm going to Figaro. They're finally getting married today."

"It would've been great to have you attend the wedding with all of us," Setzer followed up.

"We know thou art with us in spirit, though," Cyan added. "We do not forget thy deeds."

Setzer and Cyan each lay a flower on the graves before walking away with Relm. They had all visited plenty of times since defeating Kefka, so there was no need for elaborate speeches.

Relm had long since gotten over the shock factor of realizing that her father had been fighting alongside her the whole time. Although she figured that nobody would ever fully understand why he chose to end his journey the way he did, she and all the other members of their extended family were at peace with the decision he had made to remain behind in Kefka's tower as it collapsed atop him. She remembered that Sabin had led a search effort not long afterward, and by some miracle, they had managed to find his body. When Strago insisted that he be interred at Thamasa, Relm grew curious. She hounded her grandfather, refusing to stop asking him why until he finally caved and revealed the truth to her.

When the pieces of the puzzle all came together, Relm experienced all five stages of grief. For the first few days, she denied the truth. When denial turned into anger, she lashed out at her grandfather for hiding the truth for so long. She often cursed herself to sleep at night, crying over the many realizations: that her father had chosen to live life as an outlaw rather than care for his child, that he had developed a reputation across the world as a ruthless assassin, that he had two-timed countless people and groups he also allied with, etc. Once she reached the bargaining stage, she began questioning what she could have done during her infancy to drive him away, which accelerated her descent into a depressive state when she constantly blamed herself for not being able to remember him at all.

None of this was something Relm would ever wish upon a preteen, but she did not get to choose her age when this discovery occurred. Eventually, as she grew older and began accepting the reality of her relationship with Shadow, she also developed a better understanding for why he had left and why her grandfather had kept their relationship a secret after finding out. It did not mean she was willing to forgive her father for every decision that he had made, but at the very least, she could see his reasons. Now, as a sixteen-year-old, it no longer bothered her much to think about her father; after all, since he was never there for her, they were related only by blood and nothing more. He had chosen his path, and in the end, he had also consciously chosen his own demise.

Having already been an infamous assassin prior to his death, tales of Shadow as a villain who had reclaimed his honor when he died fighting Kefka soon started spreading throughout various corners of the world. Today, his name is held in both high regard and still feared among those who embrace legends. For Relm, who had never divulged the fact that he was her father to anyone outside of her trusted inner circle, his legacy in the eyes of the world would not matter on a personal level. He tried to atone for his sins and died with honor, and that was satisfying enough of a lasting memory for her to hold onto.

As the trio approached the Falcon, Relm spotted a familiar face already standing on its deck looking over the side. Immediately, her eyes lit up, and she formed an affectionate smile of pure excitement. Neither Setzer nor Cyan did anything to stop her when she took off running to board the airship, dropping her bag in the storage hold and flying her way up the stairs.

"Gau!" she shouted as soon as she reached the deck. She charged up to him, threw her arms around his neck, buried her face into his shoulder, and spun him around. "Oh, I've missed you so much!"

Gau's hands were around her waist instantly, clutching her against him tenderly. Relm did not want him letting go.

"Gau missed Relm more," the now-nineteen-year-old youngster remarked.

It had been well over a month since the two had last seen each other, and unfortunately, such seldom visits had become more of the norm. Relm was preoccupied with caring for Strago, and Gau had been training more often with Sabin. The infrequency of any visits simply made moments like this more precious for both of them.

Relm never expected to fall for Gau. She had only gotten to know a few details about him during their journey to save the world, and she was not too fond of him then, not even being able to see him as a close friend. He was simply too different, having grown up in the untamed wilds of the Veldt while she was more of a village girl. She had seen how frustrating it had been for Sabin to teach Gau the mannerisms that she had long taken for granted, and she could not imagine how impatient she would be if she had been in Sabin's position.

However, her view of Gau gradually began changing in the aftermath of Kefka's defeat. Gau, having considered everyone in the party to be a friend, would try his best to visit them all often. He would show up in Thamasa from time to time, sometimes with Cyan and/or Sabin and sometimes alone, and knock on Strago's door to check in on both him and Relm. He paid her several visits in other parts of the world while she was working for various wealthy individuals painting portraits, always complimenting and admiring her art regardless of how others felt. As Relm grew into her teen years, Gau's honest authenticity became harder for her to overlook or shrug off.

Throughout the trauma of discovering that Shadow had been her father, Gau had shown up almost regularly to comfort her while she grieved. There were even times when she had taken her emotions out on him because of convenience, and yet he never flinched, always offering her the emotional support she sometimes did not even realize she needed.

Strago had fallen ill before Relm had a chance to finish grieving over Shadow, forcing the young artist to put all of her ambitions on hold while she cared for her grandfather. While others who she thought she had befriended during her artistic tenure began abandoning her one by one, Gau stuck by her, increasing his visits to Thamasa and often bringing essential supplies and medication for Strago from distant lands. Whenever Relm felt overwhelmed by Strago's needs, it was Gau who almost always lent a hand.

Relm still remembered the first time that Gau had seen her cry. All the pressure that she had felt—from coping with Shadow's identity to looking after Strago—had strained her beyond her breaking point, and she ran outside of her house to let her tears flow. Gau, who had been visiting her, heard her footsteps and followed her into her yard, where he caught her unable to mask her emotions behind her foul-mouthed façade any longer. She expected some sort of jab from him, but she instead received an arm around her shoulder. Incapable of controlling herself, she grabbed him and cried into his chest. He never objected, telling her afterward that he understood because he felt all of her pain.

To this day, aside from Strago, Gau was the only person Relm had shown her vulnerable side to. Although she suspected that the rest of their family knew, Relm had consistently maintained her sassy persona while around them. She was simply too prideful of an individual to display such signs of weakness, but around Gau, she was unafraid to let down her guard.

Gau may have grown up as a feral child, but Relm eventually discovered that he had a heart purer than any "civilized" person she had ever known. He never held grudges and had a firm grasp on the concepts of love, loyalty, and gratitude that still confused most adults. He never judged her and found joy in seeing her be herself. When he finally confessed to Relm that he had developed feelings for her, it had become a no-brainer for Relm to return those feelings.

"Okay, lovebirds," Setzer's voice interrupted her from her thoughts. "Are you ready to take off?"

"Ready!" Relm declared, finally releasing her hug on Gau to see that both Setzer and Cyan had arrived on the deck.

"Gau ready too!" her companion joined in.

"Then let's head out," Setzer declared as he took the wheel. "Next stop: Figaro!"

The airship lifted off and started its course northwest, leaving Thamasa behind. As she peered ahead toward their destination and the ceremony she was about to attend, Relm started to wonder if she could ever see herself being married one day.

AUTHOR'S NOTES: My intention in this chapter was to focus on Relm's perspective. Hopefully, that was clear in the way I wrote about her relationship with Gau, because Gau will also have his own resolution section in a later chapter.

Questions? Comments? Feedback? Please feel free to leave them. I always love hearing from you!