Sorry this is late, I was busy getting rained on in the middle of nowhere most of the weekend (don't ask). Anyway, on with the story.


Arc I: Chapter Seven

The Pain in Her Heart, The Pain in His Heart

His face stung as the branches whipped at him in his rush to pass. His chest hurt to the point that even breathing was difficult, and his whole body was screaming at him to stop. He couldn't bring himself to pause, however.

He was too afraid to stop.

Israfel had never been one to scare easily. In fact, one could say that part of his job was to frighten others into making bad decisions. This terror was on a totally different level, something he never would have imagined in his three centuries of life, and the fact that he was so afraid angered him greatly.

The sweat pouring down his face was getting in his eyes again. He quickly dragged his charcoal colored sleeve across his eyes and yelled out in surprise as his footing suddenly gave way. Tumbling down a rocky hillside, it was as if he managed to hit every tree and sharp stone on the way down.

Finally sliding to a stop a few seconds before the surrounding rocks and gravel that had followed him, he groaned miserably at his misfortune. Hadn't he suffered enough? Did dealing with the maddening voices count for nothing? Should I just give up and be taken like the others? He shivered at the thought. No, even if he had to kill himself in the most excruciating way, he would never surrender to the horror that had attacked.

He could feel cuts on his shaved head, and he knew that dust, grit, and sweat had penetrated into his goatee as deeply as it had his dark colored tunic. He tried to move his sprawled form, willed himself to keep moving lest his enemy find him, but he could not. His muscles had turned to soft rubber and would not listen. Not even his memories of what had happened could persuade his arms and legs. He could only stare at the darkening, cloud filled sky and try to catch his breath.

The constant noise raging at the edge of his mind was difficult to push back, but at least that was one thing he had been successful at. At first, it had been almost incapacitating, but as the hours passed he grew more used to pushing the voices away. His brain still throbbed from the effort, but he was learning to quell the torrent of screams and cries.

A nearby rustling made Israfel hold his breath, fearing he would be found. Another rustle and the crunching sound of footfalls on the gravelly dirt and fallen leaves engaged his urgent desire to flee. This urgent fear drove him upward, unsteadily scrambling away only to fall seconds later.

"Israfel! Is that you?"

The familiar voice gave him pause. Daring to hope, he turned and saw a face as worn and exhausted as his own. Flopping over on his rear, he barely managed to stay upright as he let out a relieved sigh.

"It is you!" The other man said, sounding badly winded. "I thought you were a gonner after those things got around behind you."

"Damn it, Unowe," Israfel finally managed to swallow the huge lump of terror in his throat. "I thought you were one of them just now. If I still had any power left, I would have blasted your ass."

Ignoring the comment, Unowe wiped the sweat from his dirty and scraped up brow. "Do you know what happened to any of the others?"

"No," the bald man answered, "I got out of there by myself. I know others got out before me, but I don't have a clue where they could have gone."

"I ran into a couple others here and there," Unowe was finally beginning to catch his breath. "They said that some of us are gathering North of here. I forget the name of the place, but they gave me a map and told me to bring anyone else I found."

"Are they planning on going back?"

"I don't know," the other man replied, "But I'm sure we will eventually. Revenge is pretty high on everyone's minds right now."

"Sounds good to me," he nodded, "Just give me a few more minutes to rest."

"I heard something else, too," Unowe noted, "I heard one of the survivors is planning on making contact with the Celestials."

"What? Who the hell would do something that stupid?"

"Not sure, I heard a couple different names." He shrugged as he spoke. "It could all just be nothing more than a rumor."

"I would hope so," Israfel stated emphatically. "With something this big going on they might have sent Templars to Earth. Those psychos would as soon take out one of us as blink!"

"I don't think we need the Templar's to help with that," Unowe said solemnly, "With the way things are going, it looks like we're going to get taken out anyway."

They were quiet for a moment, contemplating this statement. It held far too much truth for Israfel's taste. Groaning as he forced his muscles to work, he stood, scowling at the slowly swirling clouds overhead.

"You may be right, Unowe," he growled, his deep red eyes burning with hatred, "but I'm gonna make sure it costs them big time, and I'm gonna carve my payment outta their hides."

The gentle wind rustled the thousands of green leaves overhead. The branches of the great trees on either side of them swayed slowly and the bright blue sky held only the occasional wisp of cloud. The pleasantly cool air carried with it the light scent of wildflowers. It was a lovely day in Heaven, but the beauty of the scene was lost on some.

"Did you just say something?"

Skuld looked at the Templar who walked beside her with some annoyance, "I said you don't have to come watch over me everywhere I go. It's not like I'm eager to go back to Earth right now."

Gilgamesh turned his head back to the tree bordered stone path they were walking on. "That's not why I came with you," he replied. "You aren't the only one who wants to offer their sympathies."

Her voice dropped. "Oh, so you're friends with Ex, too? I didn't know."

His eye twitched slightly. "I know her. We see each other a lot when we go out with friends."

Gilgamesh was relieved when the young Goddess didn't press her questions any farther. They continued their walk in silence, while he went over in his head exactly what he was going to say when he got there. He knew that there would be no easy way to do this, and that made him more grateful that he wasn't going alone.

He glanced sideways at the raven haired girl walking beside him. She had changed into her Goddess robes, a cherry blossom color with red trim. She wore a golden ring around her neck and a thin silver bracelet on her left wrist. Walking with her hands together at the small of her back, she was looking solemnly at the green leaves that reached overhead.

The God felt conflicted. He and Skuld had not spoken much beyond those moments after Arimeia had brought the message from Yggdrasil. They didn't have the time. When they found out that the entire team under Lord Sephiroth had been lost, it hit him like a thunderbolt. So many of his friends were gone, just like that. It all seemed too surreal.

And while all this happened on Earth, he was stuck in Heaven watching over this girl and her sister. He knew he wouldn't have been on the mission anyway, but he still wanted to be there, facing the threat with all his fellow Templars. With his best friend, his brother. Something in him knew that he should resent the fact that he was here, safe and sound in Heaven, facing no danger at all. Yet, whenever he saw the dark haired Goddess beside him, he felt his heart calm.

Letting out a small sigh, his eyes focused again on the smooth stone walkway. Remember why you're here, Gil. This isn't the time to let your mind wander.

They approached the stone building, a white dome structure, that was the place Ex called home. Slowly making their way through the ivy covered arches that formed the entrance, they passed three other teary eyed Goddesses there to offer their condolences also. Gilgamesh didn't recognize any of them, but Skuld obviously did. She reached out her hand and whispered her greetings to them as the two groups passed each other.

Continuing a little further, Skuld and Gil rounded a corner into a large room, filled with the flowers and gifts of well wishers. It was dimly lit except around a single person, sitting alone amidst the flora. Ex was still in her Goddess uniform, dark lavender with lighter purple patterns around the edges. Her silvery hair curled gently around her face, with a long tail in the back which stretched to the small of her back.

As he and Skuld came closer, she raised her eyes to see who was there. Managing a painful smile, she stood and met them in the middle of the room. Skuld trotted out in front and the two Goddesses embraced each other. The Templar stopped a few paces away, remaining silent.

"It's so good to see you, Skuld." Ex's voice was weak, her eyes red from hours of crying. "Is Belldandy all right?"

"She's supposed to wake up in a couple days," the young Goddess responded, still holding onto her friend.

"So how's Yggdrasil?" Her raspy voice made Gilgamesh flinch inside, further showing him how badly she was taking everything. "I heard Ceres asked you to fill in for me."

"It was pretty hectic today. I'm managing to keep up pretty well, but I'm not as good as you." Skuld smiled warmly as she spoke, "How are you holding up, Ex?"

They pulled away, still holding onto each other's hands, "It's really hard to believe that it all happened." Her eyes began to glisten as she thought about it. "But everyone's been so supportive. I haven't had to deal with this alone. My friends are the only way that I've made it this far."

Gilgamesh bit his tongue to try and distract himself from his swirling emotions. He had known it would be difficult to see her, but he hadn't even said anything and his heart was already threatening his exterior.

"You know that I'll be here for you," Skuld told her friend, tears forming in her own eyes.

"Thank you, Skuld," the broken hearted Goddess smiled weakly, then turned to the taller male. "And you, what took you so long?"

"Well, you know me," he tried to sound as normal as he could as he stepped forward, "always running late." The two hugged each other tightly and Gil felt some degree of comfort from it. He felt a sting in his eyes as he spoke softly. "I'm sorry about Xander. If I could have taken his place…"

She quickly pulled back enough to place a finger over his mouth. Her silver colored eyes looked through the tears as she barely more than whispered, "If you had gone, then I would be mourning you instead, Gil. There is nothing for you to feel guilty about."

He was fighting the pain in his heart. His soul wanted desperately to cry, but he couldn't let himself. He had to be strong for her. "Xander had tried to tell me something before all this started. He never really told me what it was, but I think I can make a good guess." The God's voice strained more and more with each word. "He was going to give you something during your date on Friday."

She stood watching him, her hands together over her chest as he reached into his dark blue cloak. His voice began to shake as he revealed a small lavender box. "He wanted you to have this, so I thought I should give it to you in his stead." As she took the small object, a tear fell from his eyes onto her trembling hand.

Ex seemed to be on the verge of crying as well. Staring at the velvet covered box, she carefully opened it. Tears streaked down her cheeks when she saw the beautiful ring inside. It was a platinum band, the smooth stone swirled with a silvery white that matched well with her eyes. She looked up at the Templar, who was now failing to hide the pain he felt inside.

Closing the box, she wrapped her arms around his neck. "Gil…" She began sobbing into the side of his neck as he returned her hug. "I loved Xander so much. Why did this have to happen? Why him?" He desperately fought against the tears he could feel welling up as he listened to her cries. "We would have been so happy. I would have said yes."

Gilgamesh rested his cheek atop her head as he held his friend tighter. "He knew how you felt. After he met you, there was nothing that could ruin his mood. You made him into the happiest God I ever saw." He paused to keep from loosing control. "He knew you would say yes. There was never any doubt in his mind."

"Thank you, Gil." She managed to stifle her tears as she pulled back, their hands still on each other's shoulders. "He always spoke so highly of you. He knew that you would grow to be a great Templar. He was proud that you thought of him as a brother."

He smiled weakly before clearing his throat. "I guess I should get going. If you ever need me for anything, anything at all, I'll be there in a heartbeat." He bent forward and softly pressed his lips to her forehead.

The Goddess looked up at him as they pulled away from each other. "Thanks, Gil. I'll see you soon."

Backing away slowly, he held onto her until her fingertips parted from his own. Showing her one more smile, he turned and strode from the room. Reaching the ivy covered arches outside, he saw Skuld leaning patiently against the wall, waiting for him. He hesitated, wiping his eyes with his sleeve before speaking. "Thanks."

"For what?" She looked over at him questioningly, though he did not meet her eyes. It was bad enough that he had been on the verge of tears, he didn't want her to see it, too.

"For giving us some time alone," he replied, voice still shaky. The Goddess smiled in return.

"Let's go back," she said simply. Gil nodded silently as they began their journey back to the hospital. Skuld was technically free to return to the home she and her sisters had shared in Heaven, but she flatly refused to spend any more time away from Belldandy than needed.

The raven haired girl was looking up at the trees again as they walked in silence. Gil was finding it difficult to think about anything besides the tears of Goddess they had just visited. Why did it have to happen? They've been together for so long, and they were just getting ready to truly start their life together. Now they've been violently torn apart, and what's left is a horrible pain that I don't know how to fight. An image of Ex flashed through his mind's eye, the painful sight of her crying with the ring clutched tightly to her chest.

"You know," Skuld's gentle voice tore him away from his thoughts, though he wasn't sure if he was thankful for that or not. "You don't...well, what I mean is, you could...er..." The God looked over at his traveling companion, who looked rather flushed and was pushing her index fingers together. "Well, Ex lost the one she loved, but he was someone close to you, too, right? I know that it's not the same for the two of you, but it's still really hard, isn't it?"

His eye twitched as his voice almost betrayed his emotions. "Yeah. It's hard."

She stopped walking, staring at the stone pathway underfoot. Gilgamesh stopped a few paces ahead, turning back to look at her. "We came here to let Ex know that we'll be here for her. Well, you should know that..." She paused for a moment, pivoting the toe of her shoe on the ground nervously. "You should know that there are people who are here for you, too."

The warrior God froze, unwilling to do anything for fear it would break the dam in his heart. She took a few steps forward, still watching the ground as she moved, and came to a stop directly before him. "You shouldn't have to face your feelings alone, that'd be too sad. I always had my big sister there for me whenever I needed her." Lifting her head, he saw her fierce blush and her nervous smile. "If you want, I'll be there whenever you need someone."

Her caring eyes stared into him, and something cracked. Dropping heavily to his knees, he strained to contain his cries as the tears began to flow. The young Goddess swooped down and steadied him as all the emotion he had been hiding in his soul burst forth. Leaning on her for support, his tears wet her shoulder as she quietly whispered, "It's alright, Gil. I'm here for you."

AN:

Again, sorry for the delay, and sorry this chapter is so short. Also, I'm planning on slowing the chapter releases after this next weekend, just so you all know.

We're approaching the end of the first Arc, and I think you guys will like what happens. At least I hope so. Look for it this upcoming weekend (May 6-7)!

Thank you very much to my reviewers, you guys are awesome! See you all next chapter!

Katamari Damacy