This is my little jump back into fanfiction over a year and a month, so please bear with me here, lol. Try not to be too vicious with reviewing and/or critiquing.
Anywho, enjoy the story.
Connections
"…Can you tell me what's it like to live in a palace?"
The redheaded youth looked on with bright interest at his female companion, swinging his legs eagerly off the side of the thick branch they both sat on. Yan Leixia grinned at him and giggled, noticing the moonlight reflecting off of his round, brown eyes.
"What do you need to know about it? It's not that much of an interesting experience. Why do you think I left home with Lord Maxi?" She retorted.
Xiba shook his head, the wild red locks on his head swaying in the cool night breeze. "I don't care about the living conditions, I care about the food!" He grinned at her and she scoffed, rolling her eyes. "Do they serve the biggest wild fowl? Is the beef juicy? Are the red bean buns really to die for?" His tongue darted out from his lips and licked them in anticipation, as if said items were laid out in front of him.
Leixia giggled and traced a loop of her hair idly. "…You kinda get used to it after being fed it for fifteen years of your life." She immediately saw his face contort in disappointment, and went to retract her statement. "Though, after getting a taste of Lord Maxi's own cuisine- his "pirate specialties", whatever that means –I can say I miss the food served back home."
"Hey! I heard that!" The two looked back to see the white-clad man glaring at them with a smirk, his hand on his hip and a ladle in the other. Behind him, a boiling pot of who-knows-what sat on top of a crackling fire, its murky, brown contents bubbling suspiciously. A red-clad female snuck behind him with a grin from ear-to-ear, a devious look in her eyes as she deftly snatched the former pirate's set of aged, black nunchaku from its holster.
"Ha! Catch me if you can!" The strawberry blonde boasted, prompting the man to turn around and catch a glimpse of her for a split-second, before she immediately disappeared in a pink flash, already on the other side of the campsite.
Maxi grunted, dropping his ladle, and stumbled forward, running after the girl. "Natsu! Get back here…!"
The two laughed as their guardian chased after the meddlesome ninja, the girl taunting him by warping away the moment he got close.
Drowning out the commotion happening behind them, they both sighed and turned back to their conversation. Xiba looked down at the ground beneath him, swinging his legs in the empty space separating the tree branch from the grassy earth. Leixia looked at him as an idea sprung to mind.
"…How about you? How is it back at your place?" The royal daughter swung her legs idly, leaning over slightly in curiosity as she waited for an answer.
Xiba looked up at her with a smug look. "Well…everything is fine, really. Everyone just loves me!" He grinned and crossed his arms. "The villagers are all so nice and friendly to me; it's like they're the family I never got to grow up with." The redhead ran a hand through his hair and sighed contentedly, turning his head and staring out at the moon contemplatively.
Leixia smiled weakly for a moment before smoothing her hands across the silky material of her jumpsuit, her face going blank.
"…You're really lucky to be able to have so many friends, even if you are all alone." She murmured underneath her breath, so quiet that the wind almost carried it away, but enough for him to catch it.
Xiba turned to the young female and cocked his head in confusion. "What do you mean? You sound disappointed or something. Is something wrong?" He peered closely at the girl.
She turned her head up and sighed, then gave him a meek smile. "You're really lucky to have as many as friends as you do, Xiba. I gotta say…I'm jealous." The last word came out with an upset pout, and her dark brown eyes darted off in embarrassment.
His eyebrow lifted in intrigue, then furrowed again in confusion. "Why should you be jealous of me? Don't you have many friends back home? You are royalty, after all."
"…No, not really."
"Why? I mean, you're a really nice girl, who wouldn't wanna be friends with you?"
Leixia shook her head, her tasseled hair waving around her cheeks. "It's not that. It's just...well…" Her voice trailed off to a sigh.
The red-haired youth scooted closer. "C'mon, 'Xia. You can tell me anything. We're friends, right?"
Finally, the Chinese girl lifted her head. "…I'm always confined to the palace, so I never get to go out in public and meet people. Instead of going to school like the other girls in the village, I get taught alone at home. Father's always out of the kingdom on some diplomatic meetings, so we barely get to spend any time with each other and Mother has to run the palace on her own whenever Father is gone. The only other person I get to talk with regularly is Lord Maxi, and sometimes the servants that my Mother sends to up to my room to spend time with me. It's not really often that I meet kids my age…like Natsu, or you." She shrugged with a bland look on her face.
Xiba smiled at the girl. "Well, just know that we're all here for you. I'm here for you. I'm really happy to have met you, Leixia. I'm much honored to be your friend."
Her eyes widened slightly as he clasped her hand in his and bent down to kiss it, like a prince. He quickly looked up with a cheerful grin. "I am very honored, your highness!"
Leixia scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Oh, shut up." She was relieved it wasn't daytime, else he'd seen the pink tint sprayed on her cheeks.
Xiba pulled back and laughed, scratching his head sheepishly.
Natsu warped in front of the pot and sniffed it, then reared back in disgust, while Maxi panted, jogging up to the pot.
"Is it supposed to smell like shi-"
"…Hey guys! Dinner's ready…!" Maxi panted and took a sip of his stew, swallowing the sip with so much effort, the taste hard and tough to get down his throat. He smacked his lips. "…Eh, it's good enough…" He muttered under his breath.
Xiba turned back to Leixia and grinned, raising his arms and stretching. "…Man, I'm starving! Let's get going before he throws out the stew, like last night!" Just as Xiba was about to jump off of the tree branch, she laid a hand on his shoulder.
"…Xiba, wait." The young man stopped and looked back at Leixia.
"What is it?"
They stared at each other for a moment, before she placed her other hand on his other shoulder and leaned in, pecking him on the cheek.
She pulled away quickly, leaving him blinking in a daze, his cheeks warming up at the affectionate action.
"…T-Thanks, Xiba. I'm so glad you're my friend. Thanks for being here for me." She smiled at him warmly.
The boy glanced at her for a moment before nodding, grinning sheepishly. "You're welcome, Leixia."
"Hey! Come eat this crap with me, will ya! I'm not going to finish this by myself!" "Hey! This is not crap…!"
The two laughed at Natsu's choice of description, before Xiba jumped from the branch, and then turned to Leixia with his hands outstretched.
"…I'm ready." He grinned up at the young girl.
Blood red irises stared out into the dark, midnight sky. Her slim silhouette and hooded cloak made her look like a shadow as she stood out in the grass, her gaze fixated at the round, full moon. A silver-clawed hand moved fluidly, summoning a pulsating, purple sphere out of thin air. She waved her open hand across it, the murky depths of the object clearing away, where she saw a reflection of herself. The woman gazed deeply at the opposing female in the reflection, a young yet sharp face framed by gentle, silvery-white curls staring back at her.
There was a rustle of noises behind her, heavy, leather boots stepping on the dry grass, metal pieces clinking against each other with each step. She turned slightly to the person behind her.
"…Still awake, Viola?" Z.W.E.I. scratched his head and yawned, blinking his eyes and rubbing them with a gloved hand.
"I never sleep. I can never sleep." She turned away, lowering her face underneath her hood.
The much larger man moved closer, laying one of his heavy hands on her shoulder. "It's late. We still need to get some energy before we move on tomorrow."
"It's no use!" The miniscule woman whipped around, glaring up at the intimidating male. "It's no use, Z.W.E.I.! All our energy is just wasted on me, you trying so hard to figure out what happened to me, but there's just no use!" She lashed out angrily at the man.
The man snarled at her and grabbed her by the wrists. "Stop saying those damn things, Viola! I'm tired of hearing that from you!" His cold, steel-blue eyes bore through the woman's mind, and his grip was making her numb.
Viola turned her head away, trying to conceal her sadness. "…I should've never come with you in the first place. I'm a burden…a waste of your time and effort." She gulped, swallowing the urge to break down.
Z.W.E.I. looked down at her with guilt and let her wrists go. "…Don't say that, Viola. I promised you I would help you. I said I would help you find your identity. I won't go back on what I said." He looked at her sternly and gently cupped her cheek. "We'll find out…somehow."
She looked at him briefly, her eyes tearing up. "…And what am I supposed to do? Am I supposed to just sit here and pretend like nothing's wrong? It's tearing me apart, knowing something is just missing and it bothers me all day and all night. I can't even sleep without waking up out of breath in the middle of the night, from the same dream happening over and over again…" Her head lowered and she wiped her eyes with her sleeve.
He looked down at her with suspicion and placed his hands on her shoulders. "…Dreams? How come you've never told me about this?"
Viola shook her head, her silky, white curls getting tousled. "…I didn't want to make you any more worried than you already are right now. I wanted to stop being such a pain to you."
"Well, that doesn't matter now, does it?" He murmured quietly.
"...I guess I might as well tell you since you were going to ask me anyway." Viola looked back up at him.
"Damn right I was. Now tell me."
She gulped nervously under his intense gaze and took a deep breath.
"…I've been getting these recurring dreams. Everything happens so quickly and it's such a blur, but I keep seeing a man in fine, royal clothes, with combed blonde hair and piercing red eyes. He extends his hand out to me, and we dance together in a dark ballroom. All I hear is laughter and such happiness…" Viola gulped and sighed, as Z.W.E.I. listened intently to her tale.
"But then…" Viola cupped her face for a moment, taking a moment to breathe and wipe her eyes.
"Then what? Tell me." The onyx-haired man leaned down to listen even closer to her words, the speech nearly getting drowned out in the whistle of the midnight wind.
"…A white flash. I feel myself getting dragged away, and the man tries to reach for me and my hand, shouting 'Amy, Amy' over and over again. There's a shriek of pain…and I just wake up, shaken and frozen." Her words were a whisper, so barely heard, the breeze carrying it to his ears.
His face froze in confusion as he tried to assess what she just told him. Viola quickly covered her eyes and tried not to break down, tears streaming down her cheeks.
"…I-I just don't know anymore…I think I'm losing my mind…!" Her lithe body shook and she almost doubled over, her voice cracking under pressure.
"Viola…!" Z.W.E.I. quickly caught her as she stumbled forward, the smaller figure falling into his chest. She stayed there, trembling quietly. He looked down at her and a stern look overcame his face.
"…I'll do my best, Viola. I'll do my best to make sure we find out everything. Everything about you." His strong arms wrapped around her shaking body and held her warm and tight, letting her calm down.
The white-haired maiden gently pushed him away, shaking her head. "Please, just stop it already. I don't want to drag anyone else into my mess. This is my own problem I have to solve. Just stop it already, Z.W.E.I."
"I'm not going to stop. Viola, look at me."
She shook her head again. "No, Z.W.E.I.-"
"Viola. Look at me." She cringed at the sound and looked up at him.
Z.W.E.I. expertly and carefully intertwined his hands with her own and gazed down at her, his moonlit eyes showing pure determination and no weakness. "I vow to help reclaim your lost identity. We're going to be in this together, alright? You're not going to be alone in this." His grip was firm yet steady, and she knew he meant what he promised.
"Alright. I accept." She lowered her head silently. "…Thank you so much, Z.W.E.I. The fact that you even care…it means so much to someone like me. I couldn't ask for anything else."
He let go of her hand and tilted her chin up to look at him. "…You and everyone else may not know who you really are…but I do. You're Viola, and even if I do fail in what I promise, I wouldn't have you any other way." She glanced at him with a surprised look, to which he could only nod with a stoic gaze.
"…I can finally sleep now, thanks to you."
"Well, let's. We have a long journey ahead of us." The taller man took ahold of her hand again, and led her back to the grove, their shadows trailing behind them as the midnight moon was just about hours to end, and the dawn of the sun was to come.
An armor-clad man was just finishing up the last of duties, cadets and soldiers alike reporting to him the status of his camp. It was the years following the last appearance of Soul Edge that the mercenary militia Schwarzwind had begun to recuperate, gaining back most of its previous members and even receiving some new recruits.
"Commander Schtauffen! All is clear!"
"At ease, cadet. Retreat to your tent."
The middle-aged Siegfried watched as the young man saluted him and trotted off to his tent, eager to head in for the night. It was a long day, having just crossed into Vienna, and getting much, much closer to Ostrheinsburg. They fought off a horde of bandits, as well as getting ambushed by malfested, leaving a few of his men injured. Managing to fend them off and get to safety, the rest of the day was spent looking for a suitable rest area to get his men to rest and replenish.
It was almost midnight, and the full moon glowed a pale, golden sheen behind sheer clouds that passed by. Siegfried ran an armored hand through his long, blonde hairs, tired from all the happenings in the day. After a few minutes, he heard a tent rustling behind him.
"Are Anneliese and Friedrich asleep?" He quietly asked as a red-haired woman stepped out, holding a helmet underneath her arm, and a bottle in the other hand. His eyes focused to the youthful look of the woman, her skin glowing under the combined light of the moon and the gently crackling fire. Her eyes still held as much passion as they did seventeen years prior.
"Yes, liebe, the children are fast asleep. You do not need to worry right now." The fellow female soldier laid her hand on his shoulder, looking up at him with a reassuring smile.
The blonde man sighed. "…They are not safe, liebe. As long as the sword exists, they will be endangered, Hilde."
Hilde shook her head in disagreement. "Do not fool yourself, Siegfried. They are safe as long as we are here. As long as you are here."
Siegfried grumbled and turned away, going to sit on a log. "I feel like I'm not giving them the right life, having to keep them in the face of danger at every second of their lives. There's always that risk I'll lose them out here, and I just can't have them sent off to live with someone else…I could never stand being from them for so long." He lowered his head into his hands and ran his hands through his hair in near-frustration.
The woman stepped over and sat beside him, taking his hand into her own and clasping them together. "Liebe, it doesn't matter if you can't let them go to be in a better place, because with us, with you…if we're all together, then that is all that truly matters."
He turned his head to her, his blue eyes staring into her warm brown ones. "Do you really believe that? That I'm doing the right thing?"
"Yes, I do. I believe in you."
Siegfried gripped her hand nervously, letting out a sigh.
"…All these years I've been fighting for something I believe in…forgiveness, power, atonement. But now…am I really doing this right? Dragging my loved ones out to the battlefield, just because I can't let them go?" His voice was rough and husky, searching for a cure to his dilemma.
Hilde held his hand closely. "…Unity is stronger than the most powerful weapon; it's what brought all of us together, to band against the evil that is Soul Edge. It's what keeps our bonds tied, to keep us from falling apart. …It's what brought you and I together."
The commander looked at his companion and wrapped an arm around her. "…Ich liebe dich." He whispered to her.
"Ich liebe dich von ganzem Herzen." She looked up at the larger man, the corners of her lips turned up in a gentle arch.
"…I never would've thought I'd be the one to be taking care of my own someday." Siegfried murmured, his eyes watching the fire crackle in front of him, embers floating up to their open night air.
"I never would've thought that someday my children and I would be fighting alongside each other. At least, I never expected it to happen to me this early." She laughed slightly, her voice soft yet solid, commanding like it used to be back when they first met on the battlefield.
The blonde man quietly sighed and reached down to place his hand on her's. "…After all this is done, where do we go from here? Do you intend on returning to Wolfkrone to rebuild your homeland?" He looked at the woman beside him, his eyes soft and tired.
"…I vowed to myself to restore the land of my birth to its former glory. I want to ensure peace to my people, for they need me at the toughest of all hardships." Siegfried saw the former blaze of justice flash through her eyes, as if the fires were coming from her own brown irises. She turned to him. "And how about you? Where would the Schwarzwind go?"
He lowered his head. "…I don't know. We may disband after all is done, maybe we'll branch out, who knows." The man inhaled a breath as he stared at the flames dancing before his eyes.
"…I'd like you to come to Wolfkrone with me. And everyone else too. Be part of my kingdom. I want to honor you all for your brave deeds when this is all over." She spoke with a passionate tongue, meaning all the words she let out of her mouth.
"Assuming this will all be over." Siegfried looked at her knowingly.
She smiled. "How many times do I have to tell you? As long as we are together, all of us banded, we are stronger than the tidal waves of the ocean, the force of a tremor, the blasts of an eruption. Just as long as you're here with me."
"…Thank you, Hilde." For once in the longest time, he smiled.
Hilde promptly stood up and extended a hand to him. "C'mon…you must be tired. Let's get some rest. We have a victory awaiting us in coming future."
* I understand this was written before SCV has been released, but this is all speculative fanfiction, so please don't get stingy if some story details end up being inconsistent
* lol kudos to whoever can understand the Gratuitous German
have fun reviewing the story
your lovable teenage boy author, Fatal Exodus