"Men! We've lost so many of you in our last battle and the only way we will win this war is if we change what strategy they think we have!"

The soldiers shifted uneasily, looking at their general deliver his orders. From first glance, you wouldn't think the general wasn't all too serious considering that he looked like a guy you may have just picked up from the beach with a surfboard in hand. But after a couple of minutes, you would be standing straight with your hands behind back, letting him command anything of you and you would do it.

"Yes sir!" The soldiers replied, no signs of anxiousness in their voices.

Their general narrowed his eyes at his army. "Men! Don't think you can fool me! Every single one of us in nervous on that battlefield knowing that the next steps we take could be our last! Just remember everything you are fighting for! Now get as much sleep as you can, we'll be out at 100 hours! You are dismissed!"

Every single of his men gave their war cry and confirmed their understanding as they leave to barracks.

The general turned around from the fleeting troops and looked at his right hand man, Laurance Zvahl, looking at his general weirdly.

"General Ro'meave, what do you have to fight for? You are emotionless to everything and ever since your family died as a product of war, you haven't been yourself," Laurance grabbed him by the arm as he attempted leave his right hand, "Garroth, I've been your friend much longer than you have been general or even in the army. What's going on?"

"Laurance," the general, Garroth, started then stopped as he looked over Laurance's shoulder seeing Dante, his spy running frantically to him and Laurance. "I'll answer that later. Right now, we have bigger matters."

The both of them watched as Dante ran to them, almost out of breath. Ever since he had gotten news of his wife expecting a child, he had been up restless nights writing letters to her and spying on the other side. Purple bags lined the bottom of his cerulean eyes showing the lack of sleep that he willingly created.

"General Ro'meave! They're planning to attack tonight! We have no time to rest at all, we must defend our base," Dante fidgeted a little bit as if he had something else to include, "The next matter is something that must be between us."

Garroth turned his head, looking at Laurance. "Zvahl, round up the troops and tell them of what has been received."

Laurance's brown hair shook as he confirmed he would do what Garroth had said. He turned away with pride and ran down the podium that they were on to the barracks.

"So, what do you need to discuss with me, Smith?"

"General Ro'meave, we have a criminal in our army more specific, a woman, disobeying our laws of warfare."

"Smith, did you acci--Nevermind, I don't want to know how you found this out. I just want to know which soldier it is even when we told them we don't want to hurt civilians and orphan children. Who does she think she is?"

Dante took a deep breath before continuing his reply to his general. "Sir, it's soldier Phoenix."

"Of course she would be our best fighter, but the law is the law and the law is hard. Take me to her."

"General Ro'meave, you will not want to turn her in."

Garroth, intrigued by his words, cocked his head to the right. "How so?"

"Well...she claims she is your wife."

Xx

My wife is dead along with my family. That's what the letter said, Garroth thought to himself as he waited for the woman soldier to walk into his door.

She's not coming.

She's not coming.

She's not her.

She's not my wife.

My wife is a ghost.

She's dead.

The doorknob turned with hesitant shaking as if the person was dreading this very moment from the start. Garroth's florescent blue eyes watched as the dark oak door opened, unveiling the person behind the door.

He took a sharp breath as he took the person in. Garroth looked at how her long silky black hair was now cropped into a pixie cut as if she was one of the guys. Her small frame was now built with muscle and her soft features turned into a soldier's harsh one, battered from war.

"I can explain," Garroth's wife interjected at the silence as the door closed behind her.

"I didn't ask you to explain anything yet," Garroth retorted harsher than he intended, "How are you still alive?"

"It was your brothers' dying wish, I had to go to the army. That was the only way I could've--"

Garroth stood up from his chair, sending it banging into the wall with his palms flat on the table.

"Aphmau! Do you know how many days I have gone thinking that I had nothing left? Do you know how many nights I have had nightmares of seeing you guys be ripped to the shreds by them? Do you know how dangerous it is here?"

"Well, I'm not stupid," Aphmau answered with the same tone as Garroth, "Do you know how many times I have walked to your office hoping I could tell you what had happened but having no courage to? Garroth, don't think you're the only one who's suffering?"

"General! Soldier! We are under attack! We'll deal with this later! Soldier Phoenix, get to your post!" Laurance yelled at the two of them.

Hearing the sounds of war outside, the two of them looked at each other with complete understanding.

"We'll discuss this after this battle," Garroth proclaimed.

"Of course."

Xx

"The war is finally done, Aphmau," Laurance said, coming from the back of her.

Aphmau kept her head down looking down at the ground, letting the tears drip down her face.

"Aphmau, you will always be a decorated war hero and a decorated war wife. You know that right?"

"Wife...widow. I am a war widow along with being a war mother."

"I still don't know how you managed to fight while bearing his child," Laurance commented.

"While General Zvahl, one must try their best to keep out of all danger as much as possible."

"I know you had to leave after he was killed Aphmau but we still keep his spirit alive."

"Mr. Zvahl, do you have any idea what I have to bear with when I tell my child that their father is dead in the same war that their mother fought in?"

"No m'am," Laurance curtly replied.

"I have to live with letting my husband die without him knowing how I survived," she paused, "And no one ever will know how I did because that's what my husband didn't get and that's what he deserved."

"Aphmau, I think you need to--"

But she was already gone.

Laurance looked down at the grave engraved with her husband's name.

"She had something to fight for and you died having nothing to. I'm sorry."

-----------

A/N - I'm getting rusty on my emotional one shots, too much fluff isn't good for me XD.  Everyone seems to notice that Garroth always dies in these one shots so I guess it was my turn! Anyways, I hoped you enjoyed! Buh-bye!

~Kat