********* (I Love You) Aki XXIV: Gokunai- A FFXI Love StoryFollow

AUTHOR’S NOTE: Aki XXIV of my love story ************ (I Love You)[/I]. Okay, writing style is changed a bit, but I think you will like it.

Previous chapters and aki:

Part I- Connection (Enishi)

Kasho II- Kodoku (Solitude)
--
Chapter XIX:
http://ffxi.allakhazam.com/forum.html?forum=35&mid=111927348442145844&num=0

Aki XX:
http://ffxi.allakhazam.com/forum.html?forum=35&mid=111935938018852277&num=8

Chapter XXI:
http://ffxi.allakhazam.com/forum.html?forum=35&mid=1119447302239317740&num=4

Aki XXII:
http://ffxi.allakhazam.com/forum.html?forum=35&mid=111953530528032132&num=4

Interlude II:
http://ffxi.allakhazam.com/forum.html?forum=35&mid=1119628326622576272&num=2

Chapter XXIII:
http://ffxi.allakhazam.com/forum.html?forum=10&mid=1119877851349054619

Don’t own FFXI, yada yada yada...

No dedications this time around either...
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Aki XXIV: Gokunai
***
"'Papa' Gilgamesh." I said, biting every syllable with my teeth as the sword was pulled from my throat.

I looked over quickly at my would-be killer, and saw a strikingly beautiful red-headed girl as she put her sword away in one smooth stroke. She was rather tan, with a rather lean build to her. The thing that drew the most attention to her wasn’t her body, but instead it was her eyes. The left glowed a fiery red color, while the right radiated a deep pool of blue down from its depths. For some reason, I was unable to tear my own eyes away from her for a moment, until Gilgamesh coughed gently.

"You like my new bodyguard Ex-Commander? Her name is Aoi...she comes from the Far East Empire on loan from a couple of my associates." Gilgamesh said, stepping forward to clamp his right hand on his samurai’s immobile shoulder. "Very reliable, and follows the code of the Bushido to the letter. And is also an expert with her sword...what did you name it again?"

Aoi spoke up in a firm voice that spoke volumes about her confidence. "His name is Kikoku, my lord."

Gilgamesh removed his hand from Aoi, and then walked back across the conference room. "Yes...that’s right..." he mumbled in thought for a moment, before turning back to me.

"Anyway, Dimitri my boy! I haven’t seen you since you asked us to help quell the beastmen tribes down in Tavnazia the last time your Archduke visited there. Not that that helped any, with that assassination attempt on his life." He tapped his fingertips together, pulled them apart, and then tapped them together again over and over in an almost amusing way. "I am sorry however to hear about your treason to the Grand Duchy. I hope that the girl you saved in the Necropolis was as good in bed as my dearly departed daughter Elayne was..."

I felt a flash of anger rise up at his comment in my stomach, and felt my fist start to tighten. Incredibly, Aoi noticed this and took a half step that placed her in-between her lord and I, so that if I was going to attack him I would have to go through her first.

"I haven’t slept with Hitomi, and I certainly don’t plan to. We are just friends, nothing more." I replied, letting the fire slip into my voice.

‘Papa’ Gilgamesh threw his head back, and laughed with his deep voice that seemed to shake his whole body.

"Is that so Dimitri?...Well, I wouldn’t be surprised if you change your mind someday. Love has that nasty tendency to strike you when you least expect it, after all." His smile then melted into a serious look as he then said, "Anyway, enough pleasantries...let’s just get down to business, shall we?"

He made a motion over to a table with two chairs set up opposite of each other. The table was a rich tapestry of colors and of fine inset jewels, keeping in touch with the theme of the luxurious casino that was bustling just a few feet away. I took a proffered seat and sat down, still keeping a wary eye on Aoi’s sword as she continued to stand at the door.

"Dimitri...I want you to tell me all you saw down in the Necropolis.," Gilgamesh said simply once he had sat down also, "In exchange, I will help you out with whatever goddess-forbidden reason you came back to the Grand Duchy for."

The Tenshodo’s words floored me, and I allowed a shocked expression to overcome my face.

That was too easy...

Gilgamesh smiled at my expression. "What, you honestly think I would believe you would come back to the Grand Duchy without a reason? You -do- have Ducal Guard out for your blood after all, and you know how cunning and ruthless the Archduke’s personal guards can be."

I actually chuckled at that and instantly replied "That, that is true. Tell you what, you help me out first, then I’ll tell you all you need to know."

‘Papa’‘s eyes narrowed at this. "What is it you want?" he said, a little less warmth to his voice.

"I want to see Amas Depotana. Can you arrange for him to meet me?," matching Gilgamesh’s tone.

"Sooner than you think, Dimitri." Gilgamesh motioned to Aoi, and she quickly disappeared from the room for a moment, but then came back through the door...

With Amas. He looked a lot thinner than when I had interrogated him in my former office, but I could tell with just a look it was still him.

"How did you get him out of lockdown?!" I shouted, surprised.

"Gilgamesh freed me", Amas replied hostilely, "He is the ruler of the underworld in Vana’diel...but you should know that already, Commander." With that, he was smashed face-first into the carpet by Aoi. "I already told Gilgamesh I wasn’t going to talk to him about what the beastmen wanted from me, and I sure as hell am not going to talk to you about it Dimitri!" he said, his voice half mumbled by the carpet as he struggled to free himself from Aoi.

"Amas..." I started, ignoring Aoi and Gilgamesh, "There was an attack on Momiji by the beastmen..."

He paused for a moment, then continued to try to free himself again. "Lies! All lies! Momiji is safe, and the beastmen would never attack her! You will have to try harder than that if you want anything from me!"

I sighed and pinched the bridge of my nose gently between my thumb and index finger. "Amas...Momiji said for you to tell me everything...and that if you doubted her, to remember the nights you two spent together at the fountain in Lower Jeuno."

Amas froze up at that point, and panic flooded him. "Momiji?! She okay?!" he begged of me. Aoi released Amas with a gesture from Gilgamesh’s right hand, and he then fumbled his way from the floor into an almost-comical begging position.

"Yes, yes, she’s fine and safe. But, you have to tell me what’s going on Amas. Her life is in danger if you don’t." I replied in a soothing voice, hoping that I might actually get through to this madman.

"Yes...yes...okay then..." Amas stood up a bit unsteadily, and leaned against a wall for support. "I never thought the beastmen would find out that I knew but..." he started and paused for a moment, looking for the right words to say.

"Knew what?.." I prompted him.

He lowered his voice several decibels as he responded to my prompt "That I knew where one could find what is easily the one thing that can turn the tide of the war in the beastmen’s favor irrevocably..."

"What is it?!" Gilgamesh exclaimed while images of weapons and hidden armies flashed through my mind.

"The Eruntalon Code..." Amas whispered.


-fin Aki XXIV: Gokunai