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It was early in the afternoon in the port town of Nouvelle-Lemovi. Many of the townsfolks were minding their own businesses as they went about their daily lives. Every now and again, however, some of them would steal a quick glance at a particular blue-grey Felineko girl, her platinum-coloured braided hair swaying back and forth as she walked by. Her blue eyes were plagued with a cloud of trouble as she focused solely on the click-clack of her boots.
Vanilla took unsteady breaths, her paws trembling at a recent memory. One moment, she'd gone with Malt to investigate any strange happenings nearby the docks. The next, they'd agreed to split up, promising to rendezvous back at the Exo-Taranis.
It was a grave mistake on her end, for the next thing she knew, she suddenly found herself being confronted by a little Caninu boy. He was not much younger than herself, yet he had a shifty look in his eyes as he looked over his shoulder. He gave her a letter and immediately bolted off before she could utter a syllable.
But the icing on the cake? The letter that she now held in her paws. She slowed her walk as she looked down at the scrap of paper again, the source of her current distress.
It only contained one sentence: "Your father lives…"
But how was that even possible? The last time she'd seen her father alive, he had headed back to his office in the government building. Then, the Taranis suddenly whirred to life and opened fire on the building, setting it ablaze.
Did her father fake his death before? Had he known ahead of time that the Taranis would suddenly go berserk and headed to some secret compartment to escape before disaster struck? Her head spun with each new question that sprung up.
She had to tell someone…but who?
Malt would have been her first answer, but she still barely knew anything about him. Not to mention he was likely still busy with gathering intel and supplies before the Exo-Taranis would continue their pursuit of the Belenos. And she wasn't entirely sure how well the rest of the crew would react to the likelihood of the president having survived the rogue Taranis's initial onslaught of Pharaoh.
There was one exception, though. A kindred spirit, who held the same Paresian allure as herself.
Despite herself, she couldn't help but smile a little as an image of Kyle popped into her head. He had the personality of a ruffian coupled with a sailor mouth, even despite his capital city fashion sense…but deep down, he also had a heart that may as well have been as gold as his eyes.
Vanilla couldn't exactly recall why her mind would constantly wander to that boy, but she did have an idea…
She remembered how she woke up to find herself back in the dormitory of the Exo-Taranis, lying on her uninjured side and face-to-face with Kyle. Her eyes widened with shock and she found herself completely speechless as she realized that her face was buried in the crook of his neck, her fingers intertwined with his as his other arm was wrapped around her waist.
Yet, as much as she had wanted to free herself, she didn't have the heart to do it. Or, more specifically, she didn't want to do it. Kyle felt so warm, and the slow, steady beating of his heart brought a soothing song to her ears.
She shifted slightly upwards so that she was at eye level with him, taking in the peaceful expression on his face as he slept. Then, she slowly moved the paw that was around his neck to stroke his cheek, noticing how soft and silky smooth his fur felt against her dewclaw. She took a deep breath and found herself catching a particular scent that was like a combination of cinnamon coupled with freshly-cut flowers. He must've taken really long baths to get such a sweet scent. She couldn't blame him—after all, the feeling of hot water seeping through one's fur would have anyone relaxing in minutes.
She would've gone back to sleep if she didn't hear Sheena's voice echoing through the hallways of the Exo-Taranis. "No, don't," she heard her say. "You shouldn't disturb them."
"Someone tried to hurt them," came Malt's voice, upset and worried at the same time. "I need to know if they're okay."
"And I'm telling you, they're fine," Sheena insisted. "Please, Malt. Just let them sleep."
"I know they're fine. I just need to see…for…myself…huh. Interesting."
Vanilla looked up to find herself staring at Malt. The Caninu boy stood by the doorway to the dormitory, eyes wide with surprise and mouth hanging open. Embarrassed, she ducked behind Kyle, as if doing so would shield her.
She didn't anticipate Kyle stirring as he slowly woke up. The moment he turned around to notice Malt, his eyes went wide as he leaped out of the bed, nearly tripping over his feet in the process. He then ran out of the dormitory, his face completely red with embarrassment as he shouted that it wasn't what it looked like.
When she looked back at Malt, she'd expected him to feel upset, or even betrayed. Instead, he just gave her a cheeky grin and even let out a small chuckle as he shook his head. "Just like what happened with me and Hanna, only the other way around," he remarked as he walked out of the dormitory.
As Vanilla's mind returned to the present, she stopped and looked up at the sky, holding up her free paw to shield her eyes from the sun. What exactly did Malt mean when he said that the situation she and Kyle were in was just like what had happened with Malt and Hanna? She knew that Hanna was Malt's childhood friend, and Malt had been utterly crushed when her physical form had been destroyed. Did they somehow have feelings for each other, or…?
And speaking of feelings, why was it that every time Vanilla thought of Kyle, her heart would start fluttering in her chest? Was she harbouring feelings for him, too? Feelings that she never knew she had until now?
Whatever the case was, Vanilla knew that she now had someone whom she could confide in. Someone whom she could entrust her deepest, darkest secrets to. After all, Kyle had revealed how he still wasn't accustomed to life in Petit Mona; why would this be any different for her?
Taking a deep breath to steel her nerves, she marched back to the Exo-Taranis. Hopefully Kyle wasn't too busy with whatever he was doing at this current moment…
The last of the bathwater drained out of the tub as it slithered down the pipes leading out of the Exo-Taranis. Letting out a sigh, Kyle began to dry himself off with the towel, making sure he was clean through and through. He then proceeded to open the door slightly to let the air circulate the tank so it didn't get too stuffy before proceeding to dress himself back up.
It had been a rough couple of hours since their last encounter with Jihl, and right after they had made it through a tough battle…one that they had been able to resolve peacefully after Malt had talked some sense into the guardian robot, allowing it to shut down peacefully. While they did manage to locate Jihl further inside the facility, he had immediately opened fire before making his escape once more.
With only the Belenos's tracks to go off of in locating Jihl again, Hax took control of the Exo-Taranis's auto-pilot functions, guiding the tank and her crew to the port town of Nouvelle-Lemovi. There, the children would take an airship scheduled to fly to Dale Kurilia, where the Belenos was last spotted according to several eyewitnesses. While most of the children had gone off to pick up some supplies to upgrade the Exo-Taranis with in case they ran into Jihl again, Kyle opted to stay behind to hold down the fort.
…Which was actually more along the lines of "moping about and wallowing in his own sadness and anger". And for good reason, too.
As Kyle picked up his undershirt, he paused to take a glance at his reflection in the mirror. Upon approaching it, he slowly examined the scars that marred his chest—physical scars that he'd received from the war a year ago. While some of the tiny nicks had healed up, he knew that it would take longer for the fur to grow back on some of the bigger and worse ones.
Hanna had been the one responsible for patching him up the best she could. She had also kept watch over him, redressed his wounds whenever she could, and even helped him regain his strength.
And how did he return the favour a year later? By ignoring Malt's warning that something was off when they tried to teleport Hanna onboard the Tarascus. That one act of ignorance was what had cost Hanna her physical body. Her soul had been miraculously saved, but it resulted in her transforming into the Belenos's AI.
To sum it up…Hanna had suffered a fate worse than death because of Kyle. And he felt extremely guilty because of it.
"Damn it all," he hissed to himself. If his arrogance hadn't gotten in the way…if he had just listened to Malt…maybe none of this would have ever happened to begin with.
He hung his head low as tears fell from his eyes. I'm sorry Hanna, he thought, tightly gripping the sides of the sink. If only it had been me, instead of you.
A choked squeak broke into his thoughts, snapping him back to reality. He whirled around to find Vanilla standing in the doorway of the bathroom. Her eyes were as big and wide as dinner plates, her mouth hung ajar, and there was a slight blush that began to paint her face and ear-tips the same crimson colour as her jacket.
"S-SORRY!" Vanilla cried out, slamming the door shut before Kyle could think of a response. He heard hurried footsteps down the hallway, indicating that she had run off in embarrassment for accidentally walking in on him shirtless.
Sighing to himself, he put on his undershirt and dress shirt, then picked up his waistcoat and tie before exiting the bathroom door. Luckily, Vanilla was only a few ways away.
He slowly approached her before stopping just within arm's length, giving her some space. He then cleared his throat, drawing the girl's attention to him. "If you were looking to use the lavatory, I'm done," he said. "Just make sure that everyone…"
He stopped as he noticed something else. Vanilla was trembling, hugging herself tightly. Not to mention how red her face looked. "You doing alright?" he asked gently. "You look like you're starting to come down with a fever."
"Wha—?!" Vanilla squeaked. She looked away, trying to hide how flustered she was (even despite being terrible at it). "N-no, I'm fine," she stammered. "It's just… I just… I…"
The rosy tint died down as she frowned, sorrow clouding her blue eyes. What could she say to him in this current moment? "I…"
I saw your scars, she wanted to tell him. I saw how badly the war had impacted you. But no matter how hard she tried, she just couldn't get the words out.
Her paw unconsciously dropped to her left hip, where she tightly clenched it. She, too, had also been scarred—or rather, burned from an accident six months ago. They were hideous marks that were a stain on her otherwise beautiful image, marks that would forever be with her for as long as the trauma continued to haunt her.
Kyle could sense her discomfort. He stayed where he was, hugging his waistcoat and tie to his chest. "Sorry you had to see that," he murmured. "Long story short, I almost got myself killed trying to protect someone. Fortunately, everyone pitched in to help nurse me back to health. It was that part of the war that made me realize that I was loved and valued as a part of the crew." He smiled. "I'm truly grateful to them for saving my life that day. And I'd do anything to help return the favour…without all that life-risking stuff, of course."
Vanilla blinked and turned her gaze back to him. Kyle had been through so much in the span of one year, and yet he still remained so bright and hopeful despite everything. Even undergoing a near-death experience had been more than enough for him to affirm his loyalty and devotion to the rest of the crew.
She couldn't help but smile. Malt was brave and strong…but also incredibly boring. Kyle, on the other hand…was truly an incredible individual.
Kyle cleared his throat, bringing her attention back to him. She noticed him tilting his head to the side, with one ear twitching. God, she just wanted to gush over just how utterly adorable he was right now!
"I noticed you were looking troubled earlier," he said. "Is there anything you want to share with me?"
Oh. Right! The whole reason why she'd sought him out in the first place was to confess recent events surrounding her father.
Vanilla fidgeted her paws and bit her lower lip. She wasn't sure how well Kyle was going to take the news. Perhaps it would be better if she took one step at a time, and see how it went from there.
"If I tell you…" she began hesitantly, looking up at him with a saddened gaze. "Will you promise not to tell anyone? Not even Malt?"
Kyle stiffened as he carefully weighed this decision in his mind. Malt was the last person he wanted to keep any kind of secrets from, second only to Jin and Britz. But at the same time, he couldn't help but notice the pleading look in Vanilla's eyes. She was trusting him with a well-concealed secret…and he knew better than to break a girl's trust.
Taking a deep breath, he gently guided Vanilla to the wall, inviting her to sit next to him. Once the two were seated as comfortably as possible, he then began to speak up.
"So," he told her. "What is it that you want to talk to me about?"
Vanilla's ear twitched in a raw display of nerves. She wasn't sure where to begin.
Finally, she decided that it was better if she started from before they ended up where they were now. "So, you know how the Taranis went rogue and destroyed the government building, with Father inside?"
Kyle nodded slowly. "Yeah," he replied. "Again, I'm really sorry about him. But what does this have to do with anything?"
"A lot, actually." The blue-grey Felineko reached into the pocket of her jacket and pulled out the note. "Just now, I got this letter from some kid. I tried to ask him what it was for, but he just left before I could even speak."
Kyle took the note and read it over, his eyes wide with surprise. "'Your father lives'…?" He shook his head in disbelief. "But that's impossible. Hardly anyone has ever been able to survive the Taranis's gunfire, never mind a defenseless, unarmed person inside a building!"
He was mostly speaking from his experiences of the previous year, when most of the invading Berman soldiers had attempted to evacuate their tanks, which were just seconds from exploding. Only a relative few had been able to escape unscathed; the rest either came out with severe injuries, with many of them succumbing to those injuries, or outright perished. A burning building wasn't any different.
"It's what I thought as well," Vanilla responded. "But now, I'm starting to wonder if he really did survive."
Kyle leaned back against the wall with a huff. "Honestly, if he did, I wouldn't be surprised if he came out and proved to the world that the old wives' tale of Felineko having nine lives didn't turn out to be a load of bullshit."
That made Vanilla snort. "Okay, that was really bad," she remarked with a giggle.
Kyle just smirked, knowing that he'd at least helped lighten the mood a little. It was the first time he'd seen her geniunely smile like that.
After a while, Vanilla calmed down and leaned back with a sigh, content to let the silence linger for another while longer. It was nice, she thought, to have someone whom she could relate to; someone with whom she could feel more secure; whom she could laugh and joke with, and not get offended. Malt was the only other boy she felt comfortable around, but then again she only ever saw him as a friend despite the Caninu being her role model. Kyle, on the other hand, was an entirely different matter.
Finally, Kyle broke the silence by clearing his throat, drawing the girl's attention to him. "So, uh…" he said.
"Hm?" Vanilla tilted her head to the side.
Kyle stared absentmindedly at the floor, scratching the back of his neck in a rare display of nerves. "Is there…y'know…anything else about this cryptic letter from the guy who you think is your dad? What if it was forged or something?"
Now that he'd mentioned it, Vanilla never considered the possibility that the letter could have been a forgery—a mimicry of her father's usual writing meant to scare her. She put a finger to her chin as she went deep in thought.
"Maybe…" she finally said after a moment of silence. She sighed. "If only my mentor were still alive…he'd probably tell a real letter from a fake."
"Your…mentor?" Now that seemed to snag Kyle's interest. "Who was that?"
His question made Vanilla flinch uncomfortably. "S-sorry," he squeaked, putting up his paws defensively. "I didn't know that was a sensitive subject!"
"N-no, no," Vanilla told him. "It's fine. Actually…" she looked down, twiddling her dewclaws as she pondered over her next choice of words. "Since you've promised to never tell anyone of the letter, I suppose I can tell you about my mentor."
Kyle gulped, suddenly feeling nervous. Vanilla was entrusting everything about herself to him, giving him the allowance to read her like an open book. The least he could do was take it like a champ.
He slowly nodded. "Alright, then," he said. "I'm all ears."
Vanilla smiled, her eyes shining with gratitude. She then looked up at the ceiling, her face shifting to melancholy. "The day my father was killed in that fire…it reminded me of an incident that happened before."
"An…incident? And was your mentor involved in this incident, too?"
She nodded. "When I was younger, Father had assigned a private tutor to help me with my studies. He was a gentleman named Cayenne Riseling, an old friend of Father's."
"Cayenne…" Kyle put a paw to his chin. For some reason, that name seemed to ring some kind of bell…but he wasn't entirely sure why it did. As far as he could tell, much of his memories from the sixth and seventh years of his life were fuzzy.
"I…don't know why, but I know I remember hearing about him, or even seeing him," he said. "Much of my memory's kinda blank, though."
Vanilla's ear twitched. "Oh?"
"Some kind of incident that happened to me a long time ago. It's a long story."
"R-right, sorry." It looked like his story would have to wait for another day.
"So, about Cayenne," Kyle said.
"Oh, right!" Vanilla cleared her throat. "Well, for starters, he was always pretty strict when it came to my teachings. But he always had that charming smile on his face — the kind that never failed to woo women, even though he had a wife and son of his own. And he always had a way to calm me down whenever I had one of my temper tantrums. In a way, he was kind of like a second father to me, especially on days when Father had to work long nights."
Now Kyle was certain that there was a memory buried deep in his mind where he'd been through a similar scenario. He wasn't sure if his father had always been there for him or if he had someone who was like a parental figure to him…but either way, he knew that he had to have at least one fragment of that memory.
"He must've been a nice person," he remarked.
"He was…" She frowned. "Until the war happened."
Kyle wasn't entirely sure, but he was almost certain that she was eyeing the scars on his chest again. He did up the last of the buttons on his shirt to try and hide them from view, even though the damage had already been done.
"My family and I were taken to a safehouse far from Paresia, where we spent the entire war," Vanilla explained. "During that time, we received reports from my sister Cannelle, who would bring us tales of an unidentified tank piloted by kids my age, fighting against the Berman army without any reinforcements. One of those reports even told us of how that tank launched an attack on a Berman prison camp in Mau, driving them off and freeing the prisoners.
"With the Bermans driven off, the Gasoc Army were able to reclaim Mau, and free the rest of the prisoners. Sadly, there were some who didn't make it." She frowned. "Among those who perished were Cayenne's parents, as well as his wife and son. I learned about this when I had been eavesdropping on a conversation between Cayenne and my father one night. He was in such a state of despair, crying as Father and Mother comforted him the best they could. But soon, that sadness turned into anger, and it wasn't long before Cayenne started ranting and cursing the Bermans for taking away the ones he loved."
She shivered. "I had never heard Cayenne cuss up a storm like that before. He was normally so calm and collected, but…I think learning that his entire family had perished must've pushed him beyond his breaking point."
Kyle felt a sick feeling creep up in his stomach, and he gulped to force down the rising bile in his throat. He remembered that horrible, horrible prison camp in Mau, run by that shitty bastard scientist. He remembered seeing all those Nono-casting Felineko that were imprisoned, most of whom had lost their lives. He and the crew had been lucky enough to save the ones they were able to, such as Sheena's mother and sister. And all because Britz had been able to rescue Sheena from that place to begin with.
"Ever since then, he and Father would get into heated arguments," Vanilla went on. "Father wanted to focus his efforts on rebuilding Gasco, but Cayenne wanted to strike back at the Berman…take the pain he felt from losing his family, and return it all tenfold. And when Father signed the armistice, Cayenne confronted him. He claimed that Father had gone too soft on the enemy, that the armistice was just a way for us to let our guard down so that the Bermans would launch another assault that would finish us all off. He swore up and down that he would go to Berman himself and destroy them all, even if it cost him his life. He always looked so bitter and angry whenever he said that."
Kyle noticed Vanilla's body tense up as she hesitated to explain her next words. Her fists tightened to the point where her claws dug into her palms, but only by a smidgeon. Slowly, he reached over to place a gentle paw on top of hers. Vanilla blinked upon noticing the gesture, and looked up to find herself face-to-face with Kyle. He gave her a small smile, his golden eyes warm with reassurance.
She returned the smile, knowing that she had someone by her side—someone who was willing to hear her out. She then took a deep breath to calm down before continuing. "Anyway, Cayenne stayed with us afterwards. He taught me lessons like usual, but they were far and few between unlike before." She frowned, her ears drooping slightly. "I still remember the expression he'd give me. He'd smile at me, like before…but his eyes looked so cloudy, giving off the impression that he was…"
"Lost?" Kyle finished for her.
Vanilla nodded. "Yeah. Lost."
She took a deep breath to collect herself, knowing that the next part was going to be especially difficult. The Taranis children's first bout against Jihl and the Belenos only served to reignite those old memories, coming at her fast like an endless inferno that could never be extinguished.
But she still had to keep going. It was the only way to finally get everything off of her chest, even if only one person was willing to listen. And so far, Kyle was proving himself to be that person.
"It continued that way for a while…until a terrible tragedy struck." She shivered, curling herself up in a tight ball. "It happened about six months ago. Mother, Father and I were traveling to aid in the efforts of Gasco's reconstruction. Cayenne also joined us to represent those who had lost their friends and families in the war. I don't remember what exactly happened, or why it happened…but I do remember feeling tired all of a sudden. I thought it was because it was night out, and maybe a good night's rest would make me feel better."
Tears began to blur her vision. "The next thing I knew, there was this huge crash, and I felt a burning pain on my side. And when I woke up, I was surrounded by walls of fire. A-And the smell—oh cripes, the smell—how could I ever forget that horrible stench of burning oil and smouldering steel?"
Her chest heaved as she tried to collect air into her lungs; her eyes became unfocused, as if she was reliving that horrible scene. "But you know what the worst part of it was? I saw him—I saw my father trying to wake up Mother and Cayenne. But it was too late for them—they were already dead, he'd told me! Killed in some freak accident! He saved me…but he wasn't able to save his wife or his friend. We were the only ones who made it out alive, and even then, we both ended up with scars that would never heal! And now…now I don't know what to do! Is he even alive, or did he fake his death, or…or…?"
It was too much, just too much. Even just explaining those horrible memories was enough to break her down. She sobbed, unable to stop the tears from falling out of her eyes.
Kyle felt a jolt of recollection strike his brain. He remembered feeling that exact same way a year ago, when he'd been on the verge of a panic attack and was no longer able to contain his emotions. Of course, Jin had been there to comfort him, and even encouraged him to let it all out. Since then, he'd started to open himself up a bit more, even though he preferred not to show his emotions too much—old habits were hard to break, after all.
What could he do to assure Vanilla that everything would be alright? That she wasn't alone? Maybe if he did the same thing Jin did, would she feel a bit better?
Only one way to find out.
He slowly removed his paw from Vanilla's before reaching out to her, wrapping his arms around her to pull her in for a gentle hug. She immediately began grabbing fistfuls of his shirt and pulled him closer, sobbing into the crook of his neck. He stiffened at first, but eventually relaxed as he rubbed small circles between her shoulderblades.
"It's alright," he whispered. "It's alright. I'm here for you. Just let it all out."
It was about an hour when Vanilla finally stopped crying, her eyes having gone red and puffy and her face darkened by tear tracks. Kyle still held her in his arms, continuing to comfort her with words of reassurance as he kept rubbing small circles on her back.
Finally, Kyle felt Vanilla shift, and he pulled away at the same time as her. She slowly turned to the side so she could rest her head on his shoulder and one paw against his chest. He returned the gesture by hooking one arm underneath her and genty grasping his other paw around her wrist to keep it there.
"Feeling any better?" he asked.
Vanilla let out a sigh. "Not quite," she answered.
"At least you don't have that massive weight on your chest anymore, right?"
Vanilla bit her lower lip. Yes, it was true that she had gotten something off her chest, even if she'd only told her worst memories to one person. But at the same time, she knew what she'd done was a gamble. If the rest of the crew found out that Kyle had been hiding her secrets from them…what would they do? Would they hate her? Would they hate Kyle?
"Hey."
Vanilla snapped out of her turmoil and looked back up at Kyle, finding herself staring into those golden orbs. Kyle released her wrist and gently took her paw in his own, intertwining their fingers together.
"We'll tell the others," he told her. "When we're ready, of course. Sound like a plan?"
Vanilla looked thoughtful for a moment. Then, she slowly nodded her head. "Yes," she answered. "I believe so."
Kyle gave her a gentle smile and bumped his forehead against hers. "And don't worry. I'll be there with you."
She smiled as she leaned against him, her heart swelling with warmth, knowing that she now had someone she could trust…and someone who would be there to support her, no matter how tough things got.
"Thank you, Kyle."