The Call of Aphrodite

Ch.24 That Damn Dog Boy

It was now Gorou's turn, and Gorou got under Tighnari's skin the most because he and Gorou were so.... Similar.

He had fluffy ears and a tail and yes Tighnari may be a fox but puppies are so much cuter no?

This dog boy felt like major competition for him because of obvious reasons... but he didn't let his poor judgment get to him. He still listened and paid attention.

Gorou looked around after Ayato had asked who was next.

"I-I can go.." he said raising his hand, his tail wagging a bit.

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It was a long time ago, a little bit after our war together. When we fought with the Kujou clan it was really hard for us. They had the upper hand in men and tactics... lady Kokomi was drowning in stress and work overload... so I went out to seek assistance.

That's when I met her.

My lady thought it would be great if the famous traveler came to help us out. She showed up ready to help and she was definitely strong enough. Before we knew it she was the captain of Swordfish II and we were no longer strangers but comrades in battle.

Tighnari looked at the glow in his eye as he stood up and perched his fists on his waist, proud to call her his captain. His tail wagged with enthusiasm from the recollection and probably a little from the booze, but he was happy nonetheless.

He continued

We won that battle, all thanks to her and our amazing soldiers... we lost so many of them... she even lost a good friend.....

That was the hardest part for her. Teppei was her closest friend out of her unit and he gave up his life to serve for his people....

She fought against the shogun with honor and the ambitions of everyone who had lost their vision in the decree. She walked away victorious, saving us all...

Afterwards we rested and it was back to the grind, managing things and training soldiers and such. Part of me felt really sad though... I had fought with these soldiers for a very long time, laughed, cried.... But they were gone now. Only living in my heart and memories.

I kept a box in my room, it contained a few things. Left over belongings from soldiers of mine who I lost in battle. What I was supposed to do was return them to the families of the soldiers but I had grown an attachment of a sort...

I had felt that I let them down and couldn't bring myself to let them go.

And after our little clash with the Kujou Clan i had to bring the box out once again to add to it. She noticed this when coming to visit me and she of course was curious.

I couldn't bring myself to tell her though.

She told me that she didn't have to know if I didn't want her too but she could see that whatever it was, it was becoming a burden on my shoulders. She then explained to me how hard it was, and how much pressure was on her when she was active in Swordfish II....

"Knowing you have so many people relying on you to keep them safe.."

She told me she couldn't imagine doing it constantly. That's when I realized she has felt just as much pain as I have... so I took her to the beach outside of the campsite to show her what was in the box.

When we got there I sat on the sand, I could feel the small grains getting into every little bit of my fur. I'm usually sensitive about that but it didn't matter in that moment. She stood next to me and I explained to her that the box was full of belongings from soldiers I had lost.

She didn't say anything, she stood there in silence....

For a moment I thought she was judging me... but then she squatted down next to me and smoothed the fur on my ears. It was a pleasant feeling... calming and soothing.

"It hurts to lose someone that you've known for a very long time... it hurts to know you won't see them again. It's normal for us to try to stay as close to what little we have left of them ..." she told me.

"But we'll never grow if we don't learn to let go... do you think those who have moved on want you to feel sad every day because of their absence? No... they'd want you to carry on... be strong for them.."

I stared at the box as she spoke these words, and felt the last remaining tears fall from my cheeks. She was right..

Naturally...

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"So what happened after that?" Itto interrupted.

Gorou looked at him with a small smile before answering.

"She came with me to give the items back, and then took me out for cake after."

"Do you.... Still like her?" Tighnari couldn't help but ask.

"No... not anymore... I did at one point, for the longest time." He continued.

"But she has her goals to accomplish, I don't want to hold her back... even if we did work out... she's traveling Teyvat and I have to stay here to help my lady protect the islands.."

"That's a very respectful thing to do.." Ayato said, bowing his head to the general as an expression of respect.

"I still think she's an extraordinary girl... don't get me wrong she holds a spot near and dear to my heart always.. but we're better off as friends" he said with a sad smile, swishing the liquid around making a whirlpool in his glass cup.

"That was a sweet story... but let me tell you about mine next!" Heizou shouted.

On to the next one!

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Authors note

Oh boy we're almost at 1k!

I hope you guys are ready for my other story to be posted as well

I love youuu

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