********* (I Love You) Aki XLVIII: Kyaroru-A FFXI Love StoryFollow

AUTHOR’S NOTE: This is Aki XLVIII of my love story ************ (I Love You)[/I]. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did writing it.

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)

Kasho VI- Hanarebanare (Apart)
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(Chapter XLV)
http://ffxi.allakhazam.com/forum.html?forum=35;mid=1131636452150807743;num=4;page=1

(Interlude IX)
http://ffxi.allakhazam.com/forum.html?forum=35;mid=1133800951265217703;num=2;page=1

(Aki XLVI)
http://ffxi.allakhazam.com/forum.html?forum=10&mid=113501144625653958#1135182494202893613

(Chapter XLVII)
http://ffxi.allakhazam.com/forum.html?forum=35&mid=1138039094120547425

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Bonus Story: Rainfall Memories

For Erica, who’s disgust with the whole season matches a certain Elvaan paladin’s perfectly.
*****

Summer falls into autumn, which eventually descends into winter.

I tried to find her...

But no success.

I felt her memory start to fade in my mind again...our kisses slowly becoming nothing more than just a distant dream.

Yet...my soul still longed to be reunited with her.
***
Aki XLVIII: Kyaroru
***
I stepped into the white powder that had fallen from the gods overnight, and turned down the street towards the local post office. I was freezing in the koenig body armor set that I was still forced to wear, much to my chagrin. I was getting used to life in the Marquisate, and in particular as my role in assisting the Tavnazian army in a hidden advisor role of sorts. Just a couple weeks ago the Archduke himself had sent me a letter asking me to please stay and continue my work, for despite my being the commanding officer of the Ducal Guard, I was more needed to help prepare the Tavnazians in the unexpected case of an assault by the beastmen hordes.

I was not pleased with what I was being told to do...but orders are orders...and I would never betray a command of the Archduke himself.

I turned down a side street, whose edges were coated with ice that the city maintenance crew's rock salt pouring late last night had managed to miss. A cold wisp of wind suddenly drew it=s own path down the alleyway, scraping against the tight stone walls as I passed through between them. I couldn’t help but think for a brief moment that it was a peaceful scene, a moment that seemed to be decaying with every second that the sun kept rising in the east. I finally emerged from the emptiness, and I could make out the image of the post office just two shops over.

Knocking an icicle lazily down with my fingertips from the doorframe as I lazily crossed the shops threshold, I felt my cheeks flush with a warm red glow as the sudden warmth assaulted my body fully. In the background, against all of the other dawn children sending cards and receiving packages to be placed under the tree as from the "Smilebringer", I could hear the faint echo of carol singers that the postal shop must have hired to give the place a more Starlight-y feel to it.

Have yourself a merry little Starlight,
Let your heart be light
From now on,
our troubles will be out of sight
Have yourself a merry little Starlight,
Make the Yule-tide gay,
From now on,
our troubles will be miles away.

Their young voices resounded against the inside of my head, trying but failing to infect me with their damn Starlight Celebration cheer. Shuffling across the floor, snow falling off of my boots as I cut between two package mailing lines that stretched from wall to wall, I finally got to my post box that was set into a wall, atop identical boxes that looked just like my own.

1, 33, 7

I spun the small metal dial frustratingly back and forth between my metal gloved fingers, until I finally managed to get the combination to jingle the box open. I then reached my hand into the dark abyss, pulling out a handful of small white junk mail envelopes that had plain black block text on them...

And one medium sized green squared envelope with gold italics scrawled across the front that I couldn't quite make out, since the ink had apparently been smudged sometime during delivery.

Crumpling the other letters in the grip of my left hand before neatly tossing them into the garbage in nearby, I swiftly tore open the top of the fancy letter and extracted a folded red card out of the now-jagged top. Flipping it open one handedly with my right hand, I scanned the text quickly once, then did a double take at it when I realized quite what it meant.

Dear Sir,

You are cordially invited to attend the Grand Marquisate of Tavnazia's Annual Starlight Celebration Ball. Dress will be in full military regalia for the men and a ballroom dress with mask, as per tradition of the Marquisate.

As you are not married, your date for this year's ball will be Lady Number Seventy Four, Miss Kokila.

The Ball will start at Eight o' Clock, on 12/24/862 of the Crystal Era, in the Grand Hall.

Please be on time.

Sincerely,

The Marquisator of Tavnazia

I blinked a couple of times, and muttered a silent oath as the realization of exactly WHAT this was occurred to me. I had always hated the Starlight Season, if only because it both my security and protection job with the Ducal Guard harder and the fact that ever since the Mog House Management Union was first formed they had slowly been making it more and more commercialized, since the Moogles discovered that they could rake in huge profits for the more gifts that they sell/deliver to the Vana’diel populace.

"You ever been to one of those before?"

I turned my head to the side and I could see a black haired Elvaan standing there, holding up an invitation identical to mine in his hand and a rather unhappy look also on his face. I shook my head no, and he then laid his free hand onto my left shoulder and shook his head a couple times in mock sorrow.

Here we are as in olden days,
happy golden days of yore.
Faithful friends who are dear to us
gather near to us once more.

"You poor poor person...I feel so sorry for you. This..thing..."-he lifted the invite up slightly to indicate what he was talking about as I casually brushed his hand off of my shoulder-"is a Tavnazian tradition, dating back to the days of when Alphollon Tavnazia, a vassal of the d'Oraguille family, first came to this area. Personally, I find that it=s rather damn annoying...the men go in full military regalia and the women go in a balldress with a mask to hide their face. Furthermore, if you aren't married, you are assigned a partner to dance with for the night, so that no one is a wallflower at all."

He paused a moment before pursing his lips and speaking again. "I love the Starlight season, but you''ll be hard pressed to find a guy who LIKES this ball..."

I sighed inside while giving a small fake smile that I knew would be invisible beneath my koenig helmet as the Elvaan walked away from me, wishing me a happy Starlight Celebration as he did so.

Great...talk about a way to waste my time...

I tucked the invite into a small slit in my body armor, letting it fall into a small inner pouch that would hold it securely until I decided to retrieve it when I got back to my flat. I then slammed the small metal door to my post box shut a little too hard as it bounced back open for a moment before my hand caught it and held it firmly shut until I heard an audible click.

I then wove my way in and out of the many package lines until I got back to the entrance for the postal shop, where I opened the door once more and heard the dingle of a small door chime overhead that I must have missed when I entered the first time. Stepping back into the snowy slush, my mind was preoccupied with thoughts about both how I was going to have to relearn classical San d' Orian ballroom dancing and how in Mordion Gaol I was going to manage to do it in full koenig, when I faintly heard a set of carolers finishing up outside the shop the same damn song that was playing inside the store just a few moments earlier.

Through the years we all will be together
If the Fates allow
Hang a shining star upon the highest bough.
And have yourself a merry little Starlight now.

I couldn't help but feel my disgust at the season grow now, even more so than before.

-fin Aki XLVIII: Kyaroru

Yay! A new chapter! I better see another chapter soon.^^
Cya in game =) *huggles*