Killing Memory Lane

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Final Fantasy 6. Never have, never will. And the Nintendo corporation should be damn thankful =D


Fandom: Final Fantasy 6
Pairing: Gau/Relm
Rating: Currently, PG
Warnings: None right now. Keep watching this space...


AN: Hello everybody! First off, I'd like to apologize for the lameness of this first chapter. I currently don't have myself a beta-reader (boo!) so this is probably riddled with typos and whatnot. Not to mention, Chapter One is more of a set up for the rest of the story. I promise, things will be a little more... satisfying later on. But for now, this is what I have. I'm a firm believer in telling a story, even if the ultimate goal is hot, sweaty sex =D

So sit back, enjoy, and leave a review if you feel like it!

Killing Memory Lane
Chapter One

"Watcha' doin', Relm?"

Relm sighed, her eyes closing for a brief moment. Mentally she steeled herself, forcing the irritation back, promising herself she would not lose her fragile hold on temper. As her grandfather always told her, her temper was more dangerous than any masterpiece she could paint. Sometimes, she was inclined to believe him. And the fact that this young man, this boy lacked the self preservation instinct to know not to bother her and ask stupid questions, only served to irritate her further. But to her great delight, she managed to reign the anger in. She took a deep breath, and turned her eyes back down to the battered sketch book in her lap.

"Drawing, Dery. That's all I ever do. That's all I'm ever doing, every time you ask me that."

The boy, Dery, despite her cold tone, sat down next to her. She checked her peripheral, inwardly sighing. Dery was her age, a boy she had grown up with. He had lived in Thamasa all his life, everyone there knew his name though he was not exactly the popular kind - at least not with the adults. He wasn't a bad boy, he was very well behaved in fact, but he just wasn't... Well, Relm hated to think negatively of her town, but even she had to admit that they were a little materialistic. Dery came from a good family, but they never amounted to much financially. They did well enough to get by without going hungry, but that just wasn't enough in the eyes of the more "elite" in their village. Dery's family was known, loved, but not worshiped.

She supposed that should be reason enough to pay attention to him. Relm never had any time or patience with the people in town who behaved in such a way. Her disdain for their ridiculous behavior was something public and outright. So, why should she feel so annoyed every moment Dery, a good boy, a good man, chose to give her this sort of attention?

She noticed, with another sigh, that Dery had started to fluster. His tanned skin was reddening, and he was shifting nervously in the meadow grass. Well, she had gone and done it again. She had embarrassed him, hurt his feelings without even meaning to. And the fact that he was reacting in such a way made her feel no guilt; instead, it served to make her ire grow all the more. Relm grumbled to herself, and flipped a sheet in her book, to start on a fresh page.

"What do you want, Dery?"

The boy flinched at her tone, but cleared his throat, and faced the beast.

"I just... Wanted your company, I guess."

At that, Relm had to pause. She could feel the guilt climbing up in her stomach, the remorse for behaving like such a cow. Dery didn't deserve her cruelty, no matter how many time he interrupted her drawing, no matter how much she tried to show him that she just wasn't interested in him that way. It had been obvious he pined for her, even when they were young. Her and her Grandfather had been returning heroes, saviors, and while Strago basked in the temporary attention, Relm sought seclusion from the hustle and bustle to take time for herself. She was only eleven years old then, and had faced an evil that no one would ever be able to imagine, especially not the people of Thamasa. She needed... some sort of grounding. To find a center. And the children of the village refused to give her what she sought. They would crowd her, talk to her, bug her with endless questions put on permanent repeat. To her great shame, she had even lost her temper so fiercely once that she had attempted to use that born ability of hers, to paint those children. Later, for the first time, she finally felt grateful that the magic had been sucked away from the world. If it hadn't been... well, she tried not to dwell on it so much.

"Relm?"

Relm started, sitting up a little straighter at the sound of Dery's voice. Her mind had wandered, thinking so strongly of times past that she could almost picture it. She felt herself flush a little, embarrassed that she had let herself wander off in such a way. She cleared her throat, turning her eyes down the grassy hill toward the village, not answering him.

"Who's that?"

At first, Relm thought he was talking about someone approaching them, and her heart fluttered. Everyone within a twenty mile radius of Thamasa was recognizable, so perhaps if he saw someone he didn't know... But after a moment, she realized he was staring at the sketch book in her lap, and she too glanced down to see.

Staring right back up at her was a young boy. The lines were rough, quickly scribbled without care, but the likeness was still uncanny. Wild hair, lean, bared muscles, and a pair of eyes that seemed to radiate intelligence and fierceness. But there was also a gentleness to him, something that made you want to reach out and touch. Relm's heart flipped in her chest as she stared at Gau, and she was ashamed to feel her lower lip tremble. She hadn't even realized she was drawing him.

Quickly, she snapped the sketch book shut, dropping her pencil and eraser back in their little case. She didn't look at Dery, ashamed of herself for letting such thoughts out on the paper. She had to get away, had to get away from the questions, from the reality shoved so clearly in her face.

"Relm? What's wrong?"

She stood, starting to march back home, determination turning her limbs to steel. She would not think about it. She would not break down. Not here. Not now. Not ever.

The hand that grasped her wrist tore all those walls down, and Relm begged herself to not let him see it.

"Relm?"

She took a deep breath, flexing her hand in his grip, "He's... an old friend. I was... We were friends with him."

She was thankful that Dery knew exactly what she was talking about. The others she had fought with had never come to Thamasa after defeating Kefka. They had just dropped her and Strago off, and went on their merry way. She had never felt resentment toward them for that - she was too caught up her in own pleasure of accomplishment to really notice. Except...

Dery released her wrist, and stood next to her, leaning down to peer at her face, "Are you gonna be ok?"

For the first time in a long time, she offered him a smile, a nod, "Yeah, I'll be fine."

Dery answered her with a nod, and together, they made their way back to the village.

"You're home early."

Relm shut the door behind her, smiling at the sound of her Grandfather's voice. It was much less vibrant than it had been in past years, creaking and fragile, something she had never thought to associate with the old man. Even in his early 70's, Strago had been the picture of vitality. There were times when some of the others would lay exhausted on the ground after a particularly rough battle with a group of wandering monsters, and Strago would dance circles around them, ready for the next wave with open arms. But now... he still tried, and would end up paying for it later that evening when his bones ached and his breath rattled.

Relm hurried to him, laying a hand on his shoulder to ease him back into his chair. He had tried to stand when she had entered, intent on greeting her as he always had - with a kiss on the cheek, and a kick to the rear. But she rarely allowed him such things now. Instead, she kissed the top of his head, patted his shoulder, and set her drawing supplies on the little table.

"Get some good pictures done today?"

"I guess so." Relm answered absently, going to the stove to heat the water for tea. She could feel her Grandfather's eyes on her back, digging deep below the surface to find the meaning behind her poor answer. Usually, after a day of drawing, she would drop the book in front of him, hurriedly demanding he look at each knew piece. But today, obviously, she deviated from the pattern, and if there was something Strago couldn't resist, it was solving a mystery.

"Hm. That's good. I hear you had some company up there on the hill."

Relm paused, grinding her teeth together. She loved her town, but the gossip train was often too fast in her opinion.

"I can assure you, Grandpa, it was unsolicited."

"Just came up to bug you, did he?"

Relm huffed loudly, dropping into the seat across from Strago, her eyes rolling, "Like a toddler! I swear, Grandpa, I don't know what his deal is."

Strago smiled fondly at his Granddaughter, reaching out to place a hand on top of hers, "Lovesick Puppy, Relm. That's all he is. You should give him a chance. You might surprise yourself."

Relm wanted to scream, to yell, to tell him there was absolutely no way she would even consider it. Dery was nice, a good boy, yes, but he was definitely not what she wanted. He was too... tame.

"Grandpa..." she said on a whine, eyes rolling again, and Strago tightened his hold on her hand. His eyes turned serious, dark, narrowed.

"Relm, I know what's going on in that head of yours. You have to understand -"

Relm stood quickly, jerking her hand away from the comfort Strago offered, her own eyes blazing in temper, "You know nothing of what I'm thinking! You assume-"

"It's been seven years, Relm! You'd think you would have realized -"

Relm didn't give him a chance to finish that sentence. The slamming of the door that led to the stairs rang throughout the house. A picture fell from the wall. Strago sat silently in his chair, staring at the table top. He reached over, sliding the sketch pad into his view, and flipped to the last drawing. He sighed to himself, barely noticing when the tea kettle began to whistle.

Relm paced around her room, pushing things around on their tables absently, anything to keep her hands busy. Normally, when caught in a temper, she would draw until her fingers ached. She had already realized that she had left her sketching supplies downstairs, but to go retrieve them now would make her look foolish and silly, and that was not something she was willing to do. She demanded to stand firm in her argument, that Strago had no idea what he was talking about. Except...

Relm sighed, dropping onto her bed. She twisted around so she was laying on her belly, her upper half dangling over the edge so she could reach beneath it. From the depths she removed a small wooden box, and she struggled to pry the lid open. Years of dust and neglect kept it resilient, but she eventually triumphed over the little thing. Like a child, eager on Christmas Day, she sat cross legged on her mattress, and poured over her treasures.

What was in the box was small, minimal, and very few. But they were memories, those which she hadn't explored in years. There was a small slip of silk, deep blue and rich in its age. It had been a gift from Edgar, a treasure he had said, something coveted in Figaro. There was also a small bracelet, braided from various colored ribbons. A gift from Terra and Celes. Friendship bracelets, they had called them. When the women had given it to her, they each had one of their own tied to their wrists. As they waved from the airship, when they parted ways from her, Relm had seen that the bracelets were still securely there. There was also a broken piece of metal, curved and sharp on one side. It was a piece of one of Shadow's throwing stars. He hadn't given it to her... She had to actually dig it out of the carcass of some random monster he had slain. What he did with the larger part of the broken star, she didn't know, but she was sure he knew she had taken the little piece. He never said, one way or the other.

And lastly, the one thing she had saved for this trip down memory lane, her most treasured possession... It was a scrap of leather, dry and brittle now from years of neglect, folded in half. She carefully pride the ends apart, frowning when a few more cracks appeared, splitting it down the crease almost entirely. But the frown disappeared when she saw that the item it held was no worse for wear.

It was stupid, really. Childish. Sitting in her hands now was a single flower, dried and pressed. The petals retained some of its original pink color, the leaves brown and wavey. Carefully, Relm lifted it from its place, touched it to her nose and she closed her eyes and remembered.

The world had stopped its incessant trembling. The waters calmed. The wind eased into a normal pattern. Terra had pulled the band from her hair, letting the aqua strands fly free in the open sky. The sun was setting now, and they were all starting to give in to their exhaustion. The battle through Kefka's tower and the fight against the lunatic himself had been more than draining. There were a few in the party who would need a decent night's sleep, along with the potions they had swallowed so readily. All in all they were more than the worse for wear, but they had been triumphant, and the feeling that envoked was nothing short of enlightened.

Setzer set the ship down outside of Albrook, and they had breathed a heavy sigh of relief. The twinkling lights of the town could be seen from where they had landed, as well as the smell of cooking, salt water, and the wharf. It wasn't exactly a pleasant mixture, but it still brought some small comforts. Here was civilization. Here was the reason they all fought so hard.

They made their way into the port town, stopping for nothing until they reached the Inn. The Inn Keeper stared at them all, surprised by their state, and flustered, set the group up with three rooms - one for the women, and two for the men. No words were spoken after the keys were handed out. They all shuffled off to their beds for some much needed rest. Except for Relm.

She understood the necessity for sleep. She understood all too well after everything that happened. But for some reason the thought of sleep now was making her stomach twist. She couldn't settle down, and rather than disturb Celes or Terra with her bouncing and need for something other than rest, she opted to take her sketch book and pencil outside. She didn't often make it a habit to draw outside at night - the light was very difficult to work with, after all - but she had to do something...

Relm made her way down to the wharf. The ship was docked, rocking and creaking in the waves. All the sailors were at the bar, drinking heavily and flirting with the waitresses. The stonework was cool, and the place blessedly empty. Relm found a quiet spot to sit and stare over the water, admiring the way the moon shone in ripples. She flipped open the book, and began to sketch.

She drew for maybe ten minutes when she heard footsteps behind her.

Immediately she twisted around, prepared to defend herself if need be, but the tension drained from her almost instantly when she saw the ragged, wild green hair, the bared, tanned skin of Gau.

The Ferrel Boy was walking down the stairs, trailing his fingertips behind him against the masonry. It was a habit of his that Relm noticed almost immediately - Gau had this strange urge to touch everything unfamiliar to him. She supposed that it was because he had known so few things of civilization, having grown up with the animals of the Veldt. Certainly he knew of towns and what not, as Molbiz was only a few days walk from the expansive plains of his home, but regardless, Gau seemed ignorant of the many ways of the world.

She recalled being greatly amused the first time she had met him. He had sauntered into town with the others, his eyes darting every which way they could, taking the village in. The adults had been talking seriously, something Relm felt no need to follow really, as she paid close attention to the wild child as he walked around their perimeter. He would pick up stones, turning them around in his hand, then dropping them. He snuck up behind her grandfather, plucking at the hem of his robe without the old man noticing. He ran his fingers over the needles of the fir tree that stood in the center of the town. Then, those bright, intelligent eyes focused on her, and Relm felt her knees grow incredibly weak.

It was always his eyes, she supposed. There was so much animal inside them, so much primal energy that even she, as a young girl, could recognize. There was no fear there, and so much intelligence that Relm thought it rivaled her own. His eyes took in everything, another primal instinct, calculating all the time.

He had walked forward confidently, and Relm had stuck her chin out, refusing to be intimidated by the boy 3 years her senior. She stuck her hand out for a customary greeting, only to meet thin air. She gawked, gaped, utterly shocked as Gau crouched down, balancing on the balls of his feet, as he sniffed at her hand. She allowed him this, too stunned to pull her hand away. But when he reached out and took hold of the cloth belt around her waste, pulling on it, running the fabric through his fingertips, she nearly collapsed.

"What are you doing?" she demanded, tucking her hands into her own chest in a defensive stance. Gau didn't seem to recognize the distress in her voice. He looked up at her, the slack of her belt still in his hands, and smiled. It was so sincere, so... innocent, Relm could very nearly feel her breath stolen. His eyes scrunched at the corners, his teeth were bared. She wasn't at all surprised to see that the canine teeth were just a little longer than normal. Then, he pressed the fabric of the belt to his face, rubbing his cheek against it.

"It's pretty! Gau like!"

And that, Relm supposed, was completely her undoing.

Oh, sure, she knew he meant nothing by it. But she was a woman of 10, and he a man of 13. She had far surpassed that ridiculous stage of childhood were boys were gross and to be avoided at all times. Many of the girls in Thamasa had developed crushes on older males, but they were much much older... adults that they fancied because they knew things and were worldly and had seen a life outside of their little town... Relm had never had an interest, until this strange, completely out of place young man had given her taste in clothing the silliest of compliments.

From that day forward she felt like such a fool around him. Sure, they got along wonderfully, had even become fast friends, but Relm couldn't help but feel silly every time she opened her mouth. Of course, Gau didn't understand the mortification, didn't even think that what she said should carry any meaning, but it still embarrassed her all the same. He would smile at her, ruffle her hair, hang on her shoulders, sit at her feet and let her attempt to comb out the ever present knots on his head. They were close, and it drove Relm mad.

Of course, she would never consider telling Gau how she felt. He wouldn't understand. She didn't think a normal boy would understand. He would probably just...

"Relm? You here?"

Relm should have known she couldn't hide from everyone in the party. Gau may have been human, but his instincts were so strong that he could probably have rivaled Interceptor in a hunting contest.

"Over here, Gau."

The Ferrel Boy turned his head at the sound of her voice, and made his way over to her. He crouched down next to her, as was his usual position, and stared at her. It was something he had always done - just stared with no purpose at all. It made her uncomfortable, but she didn't want to tell him that.

"Couldn't sleep?" she asked instead, trying to focus on her sketching again.

"No. Thinking."

"Oh? About what?"

Gau didn't answer her for a moment, so she turned to look at him, to prompt him to. He was no longer watching her. Instead, he had shifted to a seated position, cross legged, and was staring across the water.

"Gau? Are you alright?"

He turned back to her, his eyes sharp and focused, though his usual playfulness was gone from his face, "Relm should talk now. Gau always feel better when Relm talk to him. Why is she outside by the water?"

The admission caused color to flare in her cheeks, and she secretly hoped that his night vision wasn't as good as his other senses. She had a feeling that hope was in vain, though.

"I'm just... I couldn't sleep either. I'm too energetic from the day, you know? Too many things are running through my head."

Gau hummed in response, still watching her, waiting for something that Relm couldn't think of. What did he want her to say? She sighed, and put down her sketch book.

"I'm just thinking about what's going to happen now. I mean... we've won. Kefka's gone, the magic is gone... What are we going to do?"

Gau sat up a little straighter, scratching behind his ear for a moment before answering, "Gau will go back to the animals. Will go home. Relm doesn't want to go home?"

She sighed again and considered the question. Was that what had been bothering her?

"I... I don't really know. Maybe that's what I've been missing this whole time. My home. My house, with my bed, and my friends back in Thamasa..." Relm stopped speaking, the last word escaped on a soft, squeaked breath when she felt the fingertips by her temple.

She didn't dare move an inch, her body had frozen. Gau had reached up, his fingertips touching her skin for a brief moment, before they slid over her ear, tucking a strand of her loose blond hair behind it. It was such a sweet, familiar gesture, it made her stomach clench in a most pleasant way. He pulled his hand away and shifted again, feeling around beside him for something.

"Gau? What are you...?" she was cut off again, but this time, it was for a completely different reason.

Gau had turned to face her fully, and in his hand was a small flower. The petals were bright pink, large, but wilting. The stem had lost most of its strength, and lay limp against Gau's fingers. The sad state of it almost made her want to cry.

"Relm's Granpa said it was Relm's Birthday soon. Gau didn't know what it meant, but he said Relm should get gifts. But Gau didn't know what to get for you, so he got this instead. But..." he looked down at the wilting flower, frowning, "It doesn't want to stay pretty for you."

Relm trembled, so frightened of the joy that was building up inside her chest. She wanted to thank him, to cry, to hold and hug and kiss him. The idea terrified her, so she sat still, staring at the pitiful little flower.

"Relm is smart. Can Relm fix it?"

The question pulled her out of her thoughts, and she nodded quickly.

"We need something to press it in..." at Gau's confused look, she couldn't help but laugh, "Well.. let me see. Hold still."

Gau did as she bid. He watched intently as she retrieved a small knife from her boot, and proceeded to cut a small swatch from his ragged leather cape. She replaced the knife, and retrieved the little flower. She placed it carefully on the leather, then folded the swatch over, pressing the flower between the two pieces.

Gau stared, intrigued, "That will fix it?"

Relm smiled at him, "No, but it will keep it pretty." She closed her eyes, still smiling, and pressed the little gift to her chest, overcome by the kindness he had shown her. When she opened her eyes again, Gau was still staring at her, but was smiling in a similar way that she had been. The moon glittered over the two children, staring quietly at the scene.

Relm opened her eyes finally, staring at the small flower she held between her fingertips. The gift was over seven years old now, and it had been that long since she had seen her childhood friend. As ashamed as she was, she knew somewhere inside of her, that childish crush still lingered.

It was silly, really. She hadn't seen him in nearly a decade. For all she knew he could be anywhere in the world. And the only memories she had were of a 13 year old boy, just coming into that stage of awkward puberty. Though, she couldn't imagine anything Gau did felt awkward to him. There was so much confidence... She wondered if there still was.

That was when the anger came back to her.

Almost ten years. Ten years and not one word from him. Not a word from anyone. It was as though they had completely forgotten than Thamasa existed. She heard stories from time to time, about King Edgar and his muscle head of a brother. She had heard from travelers that Figaro was prospering, as it had for so many years before. But other than that, there had been nothing. Even Setzer, traveler and world renowned, had not bothered to stop in even to say hi. The man had a damn airship at his disposal. It wasn't as though a visit were impossible.

Bitter and depressed, Relm replaced the flower back in it's leather press, and tossed it back into the box with the rest of her treasures. She slammed the lid closed, and threw it under the bed. As she flopped back on her pillow, staring out the window at the little blue birds chirping in their nest, she berated herself for even opening the box of memories. She knew it would hurt, she knew she would pine away for people she hadn't seen in ages. And still she made herself suffer. It was so... ridiculous.

She eventually fell asleep, a frown still on her face.