********* (I Love You) Aki XXXVIII: D2- A FFXI Love StoryFollow

AUTHOR’S NOTE: Okay, waiting a bit on taru talk help, but this is it! Expect more in the next few days...

Previous chapters, aki, and Interludes

Part I - Connection (Enishi)

Kasho II - Kodoku (Solitude)

Part III - Reunion (Saikai)

Kasho IV- Suriyoru (Closer)

Part V- Secrets (Hiou)
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(Chapter XXXVII)
http://ffxi.allakhazam.com/forum.html?forum=35&mid=1124889122641444604&num=1
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Bonus Story: Rainfall Memories

For no one in particular...
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Aki XXXVIII: D2
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Closing in on the Federation, I could see that many of the high rising buildings that used to poke up above the city walls within it were truly gone, and the barriers that we erected in place to protect the giant tree were in tattered fragments. When I was only kilms away, I could see that rubble from the upturned earth had managed to block off the most heavily traveled gate into the town, forcing me to walk along the city’s edge to try to find another way in. I stumbled a couple of times under the weight of carrying Aoi’s body and severed head, but after about an hour, I finally came upon Odin’s gate.

The doorway into Windurst was still fraught with tarus, dressed in various states of uniform, indicating to me that the Federation must have ended up being forced to draw upon volunteers in order to protect their homeland. They stood in a couple of semi-circles outside the closed gate, wands at the ready should something or someone dare to try to attack them again.

Taking extreme care to not startle them anymore than carrying a dead body already would, I slowly moved into their sight range and then called out to them.

"Caster Company of the Combat Caster Force of Windurst, I seek passage into the great town of Windurst in order to find passage to Bastok so I may give this girl"-I raised Aoi’s severed and still minutely bleeding head into the air, letting it dangle in the rising breeze by her hair-"a proper funeral. My name is Dimitri, former commander of the Ducal Guard of the Grand Duchy of Jeuno."

A couple of the obviously newer recruits turned to the side and vomited at the sight of her gory head, but finally one of the more grizzled veterans stepped forward out of the defense line and headed towards me. He still held his wand out in front of him, and stopped just out or arm’s reach for me.

"Whataru happened?" he asked, as he gestured towards the girl’s remains in my arms.

"Beastman attack, she was protecting me from them."

I didn’t mention Hitomi to them, for I did not wish to be questioned about where she was, or to even really talk about her at all.

The taru nodded his tiny head, and walked backwards to where the others were. I could here a bit of mumbling among their number as they talked among themselves about what to do.

Five minutes passed, and then it was ten.

Aoi’s body got heavier and heavier, and I kept shifting her weight around on my arms until I finally couldn’t take it anymore. I laid her back down on the ground, laying her head on top of her chest, before I finally sat down next to her with my arms wrapped around my scrunched up legs.

Ten minutes more passed before yet another taru stepped back away from the group and approached me.

"Sorry, butaru we can’taru let you passy-wassy," he said while looking me in the face, "security issues-wissues are a major problementaru rightaru now...we did justaru fight a battle..."

Looks like I’m walking...

"However-wever, we can teleportaru you outside of the gateys-wateys of Bastok if you wish." the taru continued.

My heart lept up at this, and quickly my mind seized this opportunity greedily.

“Yes please!” I said, bowing my head slightly as I did so. The taru acted bemused by an elvaan doing this, and waved me with a chuckle over to where the main company was. Picking up Aoi’s body, I lumbered my way over there until the taru signaled for me to halt.

All the sudden, all of the tarutaru wizards turned towards me and started to chant a spell, the words of which I couldn’t hear or pickup. The air around them lit up a firey blue color, before enveloping and swallowing us up both whole...

...and dropping us just shy of the town of Gustaberg, right outside of what I recognized to be the outpost.

As soon as Aoi’s body and I materialized, a gaurd from what I recognized to be the Iron Mustketeers rushed over to where we both had just landed. Before I had time to react, the hume had pulled out and pointed a rifle point-blank at my head, much in contrast to the wand wielding, lets-keep-our-distance, tarutarus of Windurst.

"I am Dimitri, former commander of the Duc-" I started to say, not daring to move less the guard got trigger happy and decided to blow my head off.

"I know damn well who you are. You are the ******* that caused me my position with the city guard the first time you came around here, and that ***** Elayne saved you." With that, he swore, and then pushed the gun a bit futher into my face. The tip of the barrel was warm, and I could tell that it had been fired recently.

"I am not a beastman, in fact, I just escaped from being barely killed by them!" I said, trying to keep my voice level less it provoke him into doing something rash.

"And that is why that girl is dead, right?"

"No, that's no-" I started to say before he cut me off.

"I know the truth, I know that you are working with the beastmen, and the loss of life in the Highlands and this girl’s death only proved that...so prepare to die. Get down on your knees, put the body down, and then put your hands on top of your head." He cocked back the hammer of his gun, and I could see murder in his eyes.

"It is better to die standing, then to live on your knees." I said quietly, as I realized that I would probably be joining Elayne in Her Paradise in the next few seconds. "A paladin that I know told me that once, right before her beloved Xoon disappeared..."

"Works for me," he said cooly.

I felt his finger tighten around the trigger, and I mentally prepared myself for the world beyond.

-fin Aki XXXVIII: D2

Edited, Mon Aug 29 10:44:05 2005 by Nightsintdreams

To all those rating these stories down, you aren't making them stop, or even go away. Please quit.

Dimitri you fool! You should have pulled out your quad glacier and wasted that mofu[/u]cka! XD I'm sorry if no one understands what I mean... You'd have to know ATHF for it to make sense.... sorry >.>;

Maybe they're rating the story down because of the quality, or lack thereof. I am about to rate it ... but not at the bottom rating, just because if this were an English assignment and you were my student, I wouldn't give it top marks then either.

I give honest ratings, though if someone is in a vendetta against you that is a different story, and pardon my intrusion ^_^ it was an interesting read regardless.

Why I ask for thoughts and opinions.

To tell the truth, I have never written a chaptered story before, because all of my other fanfictions have been one-shot (or in very rare cases, paralelled-sequeled). I have been trying to keep myself from rushing through the plot as I go along, and developing a relationship between the characters are the same time. I need to take writing classes sometime^^;



I found out who was rating down my stories, because that individual rated down all five Parts and Kasho in my journal. And since everyone knows that a journal owner can see how a person rates a particular post, I assume that the person -wanted- to be found out by me.

Vendetta? Maybe.

I hate drama tho. (unless its on TNT)

Personally, I am hoping that he/she has an opinion/suggestions on how I may improve my writing, as I am constantly striving to do better in order to interest my home server :)

I've PM'd him/her, and am awaiting a response...I honestly hope I get one soon.

(Oh, and side note if you are reading this, no, I'm not karma camping ya. Not my style, and I feel you contribute enough to this forum to not even desire to try to push your low post count below filter^^)

Edited, Wed Aug 31 07:08:12 2005 by Nightsintdreams