Night fell as Gau sped across the waves, still encased in Aquila form. Normally he could rage for only an hour or so without rest, but urgency to find the others, and a desire to return to Dee as soon as possible gave Gau reserves he was unaware of. As one reminiscence faded away, his mind brought forth another one to relieve the monotony and boredom of unchanging scenery and the repetitive motions necessary for flight... Scene: Veldt Cave Gau gently lay the unconscious woman down on a pile of furs, smoothing her hair and checking her for injuries. Gau remembered the days of magic, when even he could cast curative magic. But those days had passed with Kefka's destruction, and what little Gau had learned from the magicite shards was quickly forgotten. Being the type of fellow he was, Gau's only form of treatment for his own injuries was to lick the affected part, or just grin and bear it if unreachable. Gau thought about it for a moment, then quickly discarded the idea of treating the woman's wounds the same way, realizing that most people don't take a friendly licking the way animals do. [insert light bulb effect here] Racing to a pile of mementos and treasures left over from his adventures, he dug through the mess, until at last he held up a small bottle that sparkled with iridescent fluid contained within. "Uwaooh! Elixer work!" Gau cried. Unfortunately, as he turned to go back, he tripped over a "lucky rock" he had brought from the ruins of Kefka's tower and dropped the elixer. he thought sadly. Digging through the pile once more, he found two potions, not as good as the elixer, but still workable despite the low magic levels left. Dodging the "lucky rock" this time, he returned to the young woman and gently poured the first one into her mouth... "AAAH! Bleah! What's going on? Where am I?" Dee sputtered and gagged on the potion. Sitting in a dank cave for a few weeks had not done any wonders for the potion's taste. "Do not touch me! I am fine, really." Dee thought. Then she sat up, and looked around. Dee gasped as her memory returned, flooding her mind with images of carnage, a strange figure helping her up, and seeing her parents and brothers... dead? "NO!" She screamed. Tears began to pour down her cheeks as she sobbed, shoulders hitching as she curled up into herself. Gau jumped back as she screamed, then remembering a few lessons from the others in how to deal with upset people, started to reach for her, intent on giving the young woman a comforting hug. Dee noticed a scent that got stronger by the second, looked up and saw the approaching figure. "Touch me and I will break your arms!" "But Gau thought people liked hugs! What wrong?" "Aside from the fact I just lost my family, I do not like to be held unless I ask for it. If I want some comfort, you will know. For now, leave me alone." Gau noticed that the woman had shaken off the grief somewhat with her outburst, but decided now would not be the best time to ask her about it. "Gau sorry! Gau leave you alone now." As he turned to walk off, he heard her start to cry again, softly talking to herself in between sobs. With a long face, he stepped out of the cave, wishing he knew what to do to comfort someone who didn't want to be touched. Hopping up on a nearby boulder, he stood up and screamed, a long resounding "UWAOOH!" that echoed across the Veldt. Gau screamed for the woman, and screamed for his own frustration and inability to help when it was apparently needed the most. He heard a snickering, and looked down to see the woman looking up at him, a smile on her tear-streaked face. "WHAT was that about?" "Gau not know what to do! You no want anything, but Gau not like to do nothing." "Well, come down here. I have not introduced myself yet, and I would like to fix that." Gau jumped down, and stood in front of the young woman. Gathering herself, the woman straightened up and held out her hand. Gau reached out and took it, noting her very firm grip. "My name is Dee. I thank you for saving me, although I wish you had arrived sooner. Maybe then, my family would be...be..." Dee broke down into sobs again, and pulled Gau to her. This time she did not resist when he put his arms around her, although he did notice she started to shake a little more when she inhaled. But she held on, and after a few minutes, pushed him away. Gau broke off reluctantly, unused to the experience of having a woman so close to him, especially a woman that was as attractive as Dee was. he thought. Feeling a little guilty at the thought, he let her go, and decided to try and divert her a little. "Gau get Dee something to eat? Have lots dried meat!" "I suppose." Dee thought, sorrow temporarily diluted by the realization of a empty stomach. Later that evening, as Dee and Gau shared a small meal of dried meat and water taken from a spring in the cave, Dee looked around and sized up the situation. She looked at Gau, happily chewing on a strip of meat, apparently thrilled to have company for the first time ever that wasn't trying to get him to fight and trek over the world. True to her scholar's heart, Dee started to think of what she could learn from Gau, a first-hand account of the events of the past few months straight from one of the Heroes of the Balance. she thought as another whiff of Gau's natural "aroma" passed by her. Coming to a quick decision, Dee stood up and walked over to sit beside Gau. Taking his hand in hers, she spoke to him. "Gau, I would like to thank you for saving me. I know you did what you could, and it is appreciated. I now have no family, and I do not think I could return to the village in my current state, so I have a favor to ask of you, and a proposal." Gau puzzled over the words a moment, and then nodded. "If you are willing, I would like to stay with you a while, at least until I am fully healed up. I wish to hear your story of what happened to the world in the past few months, and in exchange I will teach you, if you are willing to learn. As a scholar, it would be an honor to write down your account of the battles with Kefka. So, are you interested?" Gau thought a moment, then a puzzled look crossed his face. "Gau like telling story, but what Dee teach Gau?" "Well, you've lived your whole life like this, with no one to show you how to read, or write, or interact with others, am I correct?" "Dee right, but..." "I would be happy to try and show you a little more about dealing with others, and how to read and write. I noticed that in your treasures, you have several books. Would you not like to know what the books are about? Plus, there are other things that I think I could show you that would be very helpful." "Ok, Dee teach Gau! But what you mean "other things"?" "Well, have you ever heard of a bath..." * - * - * [Archivist's note: The author asked that the following excerpt from his notes about the chapter be included in the archives. His close friend Stephanie was murdered shortly before he wrote this chapter.] I want to dedicate this story to Stephanie. I got the inspiration for the character of Dee from her, or at least her appearance and attitude, as well as the motivation to try and use romance after all. Just for the record, Stephanie did not speak like Dee, I just wanted to introduce a distinctive style of speech for the character. But her heart and appearance are exactly like Stephanie's, and I hope to honor her memory through these stories. In Memoriam, Stephanie Michelle Dupee April 19th, 1970 to August 8th, 1995 You will never be forgotten, and I will always love you.