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Vanity sighed and shook her head, her short mane slapping the sides of her neck. "Barely... How's dad and Pan?" She asked, trying to think of a safe way to take the conversation. Being around Gau had always unnerved her. She never considered him a brother, as much as she tried, she just couldn't see that in him, even when she was a foal. So she hid it with scathing remarks and silent jibes.

Vanity shook her head and rolled her eyes. "Lets go home.." She said softly, walking towards the direction she knew home to be

Gau walked silently by her side, lost in his thoughts. He was used to dueling with unpleasant thoughts, but this... this was a whole new type of unpleasant thought. What else was he supposed to say? Could he say anything? Dueling with thoughts of love was even harder than dueling with thoughts of revenge...

Vanity sighed and kept walking, though she eyed Gau out of the corner of her eye everynow and then. Why was he acting so weird around her?

It took Gau a while to realize that Vanity kept looking over at him. "What?" Did he have something on his face? Well, besides his bit of face armor.

"Why are you acting so weird? And when did you get that weird mask thing, and why are you wearing it anyways. It looks weird." In reality Vanity liked it, it was shiny and pretty and she wanted it

"How was I acting weird? I got the mask thing when I grew, I wear it to protect my face from blows to it, and I don't care if it looks weird," Gau replied to each of the questions and comments in turn. He sounded a bit annoyed, but in reality, he was relieved. This was much more like the Vanity he knew.

Vanity rolled her eyes. "Its weird. And you are so silent and.. brooding. What is wrong with you?"

"Nothing's wrong with me," Gau huffed. "I'm perfectly fine."

"Lie." Vanity stated simply as she continued trotting forward

"I'm not lying! There isn't anything wrong with me," Gau insisted. There was just something different. A something that he wasn't sure he could reveal.

Vanity shook her head. "Whatever." She said simply, picking up her speed to get a bit away from him.

Gau opened his mouth to object, but then just sighed and stayed quiet. She just got home from a romantic disaster; the last thing he needed to do was start a second. He didn't want to feel cornered when she was so close to being safe at home...

Vanity sighed and came to a stop, whirling on the draft male angrily. "Why can't you just be... normal for once?!" She growled out before turning back around and leaving

Gau froze in his tracks. Usually Vanity's sharp remarks just rolled off his back, but this one... it was like a javelin to the heart. Normal. That was the one thing he'd never be. Gau turned and headed off in a different direction, negative thoughts multiplying with each step. Vanity couldn't love him. He wasn't even sure if she considered him a brother; what had made him think he could actually win her heart? Gau didn't have pretty gifts to give her like Demoni had. Vanity had an eye for beautiful, shiny things, and Gau... Gau barely counted as a polished rock. Speaking of rocks... there was a nice boulder nearby, and it was too tempting not to take his frustrations out on it. Normal, she said. Normal. When was he ever that? He pounded his hooves into the boulder a few times before turning away from it and walking some more. Maybe... maybe he'd just keep walking. Maybe he needed to have some space, away from the family. Give himself time to think...

Gau didn't turn back. He just kept walking, love and bitterness swirling in a chaotic torrent inside of him. Time seemed nonexistent, days slipping by like minutes as he traveled further and further from home. Eventually, he felt a pull on his heart, tugging him into a new direction. He found an isolated little mansion where a few Azrien and two-leggers were living. And among those two-leggers was his Chosen, who lifted some of his burden from his shoulders. It was relieving, but not entirely satisfying. But Manga, his Chosen, seemed to have a plan to fix that. It was not the answer he wanted to here, but he knew she was right.

He'd have to return home. Return to Vanity. He had to settle things properly.

So here he was, months later, back in the field where he'd experience both great relief and great bitterness. This was where he'd found Vanity after months of searching; this was where he found himself vying for an impossible love. And now, for better or for worse... he would finally talk to her about it. About everything.

Gau was lost in thought as he walked forward, until he heard another set of footsteps. He lifted his head, eyes fixing on a bitter-sweetly familiar face. Vanity. Why was she here? He would've thought... He forced those bitter conclusions aside as he approached. She seemed almost as lost in thought as he had been just a minute before. "... Van?"

Gau grunted when a hoof hit him square in the chest, leaving him a bit winded. Then he heard her voice. "Yeah, that's me..." Recovering from the blow, he straightened up and smiled weakly at the mare who had unknowingly both stolen and crushed his heart. "I'm home."

Gau's silver eyes went wide with surprise, staggering backwards as he was hit. He sighed as she angrily stormed away. "Told you this was a waste of time," he mumbled. But his Chosen's presence in his mind calmly insisted otherwise. Sighing again, he forced his large body into motion and ran after her. "Vanity, wait!" he called, urging his hooves to go faster.

She waited. Gods above, she waited. A weight lifted from Gau's chest as he caught up to her and slowed. He took a minute to catch his breath before pouring out his heart. "... I'm sorry," he said softly, "that I left without saying anything. I just... needed some time to think." He took a deep breath and then steeled himself for what was likely to be the hardest speech of his life. "Vanity, I know... I don't have anything to give you and I... will never be even remotely normal..." Gau lifted his head to look at her, even though her gaze was hidden by her purple mane. "But I love you more than anything." Despite all his bravery, the draft stallion couldn't be more terrified. Broken bones healed; broken hearts often didn't.

Gau felt a large burden lift off of his shoulders. Relief flooded his expression as he stepped forward and nuzzled the draft mare that stolen, broken, and repaired his heart. "I'm glad," he replied softly, "because I don't know what I would've done if you said no." Vanity meant too much to him. To have her reject him and possibly refuse to be near him... it would've been a fate worse than death.