Author's Note: Now, before anyone ACTUALLY reads this... I want to say a few things.
1.) Just as the title says, this one is just for fun. Sure, it'll have something resembling a plot. Sure, the title actually has something to do with said plot. Mostly though, it's just for fun. (Ahhhh~ You see what I did there? =D)
2.) I forgot what I wanted to say for number two.
3.) I've been busy with... things. Everyone out there who writes at all knows what I'm talking about. If you don't, I can sum it up in two words for you. Life Happens.
4.) I remembered what it was that I wanted to say for number two. I've been primarily writing for "This Merry Ol' Mercenary Band" recently, and I realize people might want me to work on my Assassin's Creed/Naruto crossover. Unfortunately, I have too many ideas, and not enough editing I can do on my own. I made the stupid mistake of trying to start a story in present tense... when I'm really bad with present tense. ... When I'm not ranting, at least. And all my ranting is done while shooting rabbits in Skyrim, so I try to not get that mad. Which is why I'm putting that on the backburner until I can get someone both competent and reliable (almost impossible, I know) to either Beta Read for that story or proofread it. Because really... my writing skills have gone to the shitter.
5.) I don't want to end on a four, because chinese people are scary.
Anyway, I hope you enjoy this. I know I will!
... Unless it kills me.
6.) Got the idea of a FemSoren from the "Path of Valor" fic. I figured that since everyone and their mother was Rule 63-ing Haku over in the Naruto section, this would be alright. It's practically the same. Ice Queen that's actually and Androgyneous Guy in Body Concealing Robes? Getting genderbent. Always.
Disclaimer: Don't Own.
"Just for Fun"
Prolouge: Tutorial Please
Floating... That's what I was doing. All I was doing, really. My mind was tired, so I couldn't think. My body was tired, so I couldn't move. My heart... my heart was tired, so I couldn't feel. No, that's a lie. Rather, I wouldn't feel. I was too tired. It's why I didn't react when I heard a voice in my head.
*Hello hello! My name is +something something something.+ ... Oh, how bothersome. Seems the spirits don't want me to tell you that. Hm... Well then, call me +something.+ What, that's no good either? Gah... fine. Hrrm... Aha! Call me Tenebrae. Yes! I win!*
To be honest, this guy sounded like a nut. Nothing I wasn't used to, being related to Negi Springfield and Chao Lingshen. Crazy is the natural state of them and their surrounding area. Starts happening around puberty, sort of like the X-gene.
*Now, tell me. What is YOUR name?*
Ugh... stop thinking into my head. Can't you see I'm busy being a floating corpse? Being dead sucks, but you're kind of annoying.
... Yeah, okay. I guess I can tell 'em. I have nothing better to do.
"My name is not Setsuna. However, that's the name I'm giving you to call me," I say. I really should have felt around. Magically, I mean. I don't go to that kind of limbo often (read: EVER), so it probably would have been educational to at least open my eyes and see... something. Anything. But I didn't.
*Setsuna, eh? Alright... S-E-T-S-U-N-A. Perfect. It even fits the 7 character limit! How lucky!*
... Looking back now, this is when I should have asked to go home. Instead, I only really got out a, "Wait, what?" before I got a lot of information I wasn't quite ready for dumped on (in?) my head.
*Okay, so this is how it goes. You're a mage. A powerful one, by your world's standards. You've recreated thousands of spells that only existed in your world's fiction with nothing more than a visual. However, you're also young and stupid. You tried to perform a long-range teleport with an antique video game in your pocket. There's a reason DVDs and disc games were banned, you know.*
I'd like to say that that makes sense, but magic rarely does. It's not really an exact science. Part of the reason why Magic R&D is so important. Even those who understand it best don't really understand it at all, and research (almost) always helps us understand it better.
*Anyway, Mister I-want-to-be-a-Magister-Magi-but-failed-my-teleport-epicly, you have no choice, just as I have no choice. You're going into the video game in your pocket as a 'My Unit' type character. If you don't like it, tough. If you die, tough. If you're entertaining thoughts of returning home, tough. There is no going back. I have no say in the matter.*
At the time, I really didn't understand the problem. Too tired to really think. Too tired to try to understand. ... Also, I thought I was dead and was getting a second chance at life. Couldn't really turn that down, could I? Well, I could, but it was like he said. I was young and stupid. And selfish. And kind of a jerk. And young. Only 14, in fact.
... Okay, so I was scared shitless and just wanted the voice (Tenebrae, right?) to leave me alone. That's fairly normal, right? Besides, I found out later he wasn't really such a bad guy.
*But... I'm not really a bad guy. I don't like the idea of sending you off on your own without something to protect yourself.* See? Not really a bad guy. He even said so himself!
*So! Here's the deal. That Magia Erebea of yours? That's dark magic. I'm Tenebrae, a darkness spirit. I'm going to mark you, making you a spirit charmer.* Cool. ... Hold up... from what I know about Fire Emblem...
"Er... wait a minute... doesn't that mean you're taking my soul?" I feebly ask. Really, I was in a pretty pathetic state. It was so sad...
*... Maybe later. When you wake, you'll have a wooden sword next to you. A bokken, if you want the proper name for it. It will be made of Holy Blackwood. It is both unbreakable and a magical medium. This is the most I can do for you.* I don't like how he brushed off the taking of my soul like that. It's not.. whoop... sleepy...
It has been two and a half hours since I woke up on the forest floor, picked up my bokken, and sat my sorry ass against a tree. I've already checked myself for wounds and equipment. No wounds, and I'm still in my mage robes. The kung fu outfit that I had made to look like Negi's is on under that, though I worry about getting new fabric if this set tears. I have two of my practice wands, the family ring (a gift from the Dark Evangel, passed down for generations), this bokken, and my tome. Not just any tome but my tome.
From the stories I heard of one Yue Ayase, I got the idea to make a book that contained so much magical information, it's not even funny. While I couldn't get it on par with that pactio artifact, I did make something that would record the all the spells and magical knowledge I had into it. Also, if I touch a book it will be added to my 'library' to look at later. Pretty neat, huh?
... I don't have the sanity for this. Really. I'm talking [thinking, actually] thinking, whatever, to myself like this is a story for someone to read. ... Well, sure it was just proven to me that all fiction is real in another reality, but that doesn't mean someone would actually be reading my predicament. ... [Unless they are.] Yeah, unless they are. In which case, I better think more clearly.
... Holy shit!? Who the +something+ are you?
[Me? Oh, I'm the Player. I'd say I'm Player 1, but Fire Emblem is a single player game.] ... The +something?+
[Yeah... The fact you can actually hear me is kinda weird. Also, your thoughts, as long as they aren't actually an action, show up as narration text, in case you were wondering.]
And my swearing? [Censored with the word something. ... Except for ass. That seems to go through. Oh, and shit does too.]
... ... +something+
[Try talking. Out loud that is. I want to see your word bubble.]
I stand up and start looking around, trying to get a decent bearing on my surroundings now that I'm not tired. "Bite me, asswipe."
[One, that was uncalled for. Two, your textbox is an almost black green with gold trim, just like your clothes. Your text is also gold. Three, do you have any clue where you are? Because I don't.]
*"You're surrounded by trees. Then again, you're in a forest."*
What was that? Player, did you see that?
[Looks like you used the 'inspect' command. hrm... I guess this is the tutorial, then? Try moving, Setsuna.]
And so I do. It seems I can move just fine, without controller input. [That's because you're a green unit. By the way, can you see my cursor? It should be on top of you.]
I look up. There's an arrow. I look down. There is are four corners that make a square at my feet. No, No I can't. I thought to him. I tried to take in my surroundings, but I couldn't. Dialogue fills my mind, making it difficult to focus.
[Your textbox text just changed to italics and the narration stopped. One sec, let me open the in-game manual...]
Y'know what? Thinking about it now, I take it back. That voice guy from before was a prick. He had sent me to hell.
[Okay, so... let's review. You're from an alternate reality. Specifically, an alternate future timeline from that one manga called Negima. You did something stupid and ended up in my copy of Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance. Thing is, magic doesn't exist in my reality as far as I know, which means you're kinda stuck.]
[Things we've discovered so far: One, you're a rude jerk. Two, Tenebrae is some crazy magic thing, since the in-game manual is filled with extra stuff. Three, you can see the cursor, and any status pages or menues I open go straight into your book. Four, you're an Ally unit. A green unit that I can't control.]
[Five, we don't know what will happen once combat actually begins. We do, however, know that I can move the cursor wherever I want and set up checkpoints on places and people for me to come back to. Good for info gathering, but I apparently can't have more than five checkpoints, including the one on you.]
[Six, when the player is asleep they can act as your Spirit Charmer... Spirit. Essentially, I get turned into your "Tenebrae" character. Hopefully, this will make me the awesome kind of Darkness Spirit, like the one from Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of a New World. Finally, there are some things you can't do without me.]
[We don't quite know what yet, but it says you can't, so... I suppose we'll just have to play it by ear. As for format, your narration text doesn't seem to appear any more. Your thoughts and speech come up in text boxes. When I speak, I see tutorial boxes. Kind of annoying. By the way, call me Nyx.]
This is what I read when I opened my book after a few hours of talking with 'Nyx.' Truthfully, I'm just glad we got even that much sorted out. Nyx was going out to lunch, though, so I was left by myself. Apparently our time zones line up fairly well. Considering our being in alternate realities, extraordinarily well. Tonight he'd be trying to manifest, but until then I planned to practice my magic.
After I find civilization, that is. Dispite my awesome magical and technological prowess, I'm no survivalist. If I don't get out of these woods and into town soon, I'd likely die of dehydration. ... Actually, I could just find a stream or river and practice my fire spells. That'd be cool too. After all, it's not like I haven't replicated the spells from the Fire Emblem ga..mes...
Well, shit. I just realized I should probably downplay my skill with magic for a while. After all, if some 14 year old shows up and casts something crazy like Forblaze, there's going to be a lot of uncomfortable questions. Also, I better make a note to see if Light magic and Dark magic work the same here. Any of the magic, actually. Magic isn't an exact science, and can be pretty wonky in the right (or wrong) circumstances. ... Well, I better get moving.
Before I can really go anywhere, I hear a sound. Like a tuning fork ringing in A in C minor. If you've ever played a Dot Hack game (I'm talking to you, person in another reality that is currently reading this), it's the bell-like sound that happens right before anything Aura related happens. Like when Tri-Edge appears, or when Haseo transforms into his Avatar. Damn, I wonder if I could do something like that? The Tri-Edge thing looks like some odd combo of fire and time magic, so I'd have to wait until I know what works here.
I'm broken from my thoughts by another chime of A in C minor, and I feel a light heat coming from my book. It doesn't look any different, so I open it. It appears that Nyx left some messages for me.
[Hey, I'm back. Figure anything out?]
[Hello? Setsuna? Can you hear me?]
No, I can't, I thought. You're showing up as text in my book, though. Maybe our connection gets stronger the darker it is? I mean, it's kinda midday. Dark magic might be affected by that.
It was a bit of a longshot guess, since dark magic is usually powered by either negative emotions or emotionlessness. Internal forces, not external. Could you find me a body of water? I want to practice anima magic before I hit town. It should give you time to find me one of those, too.
[Sure. One minute... ... ... ... ... ... ...
... ... Found something. If you keep going west, you'll hit a river. Careful, though. I think you may be in Gallia.]
Awesome. It was, really. I just needed some practice...
Thankfully, a large, orange-gold cat pounced at me from above, teeth bared and making threatening noises. Now, I may be a magical genius... but I'm no warrior. I was an idea guy, the R&D dude, the inventor ally. Not the fighter, and definitely not the hero. I should have taken my aunt's offer to have me trained for combat.
Anyway, I had to do something. I was scared, so the first thing I tried was dodging. The words for the Fire Emblem's easiest spell came to my mind, though I don't quite know how or why. I assume adreneline. I was only capable of sending out a single bolt of fire before I was forced to dodge again. It was pretty bad. It was like playing Poke'mon when both you and your opponent kept using Sand-Attack. It was extremely hard to hit one another, but one of us would still make blows every now an then. Unfortunately, that wasn't me.
The cat laguz, for that was the only thing it could have been, had been attacking me relentlessly. Its graceful muscles pulling taut was the only warning I ever had before I was attacked again. I was getting scratched every now and again, my dodging starting to drain my stamina. My fire spells weren't hitting and I was running out of Mana. I was panicked and unable to think clearly. That last one ended up costing me. I tried to dodge for the umpteenth time, but I tripped over some roots and landed on my back. The cat pounced.
I was pinned and scared for my life. I did the natural thing a stupid kid does when he gets in over his head. I screamed and struggled. That only helped in that it kept the beast from taking a bite out of my throat. I still got bitten pretty hard in the shoulder. I mentioned I wasn't trained for combat, right? Not for real? That I was technically just well-learned and well-educated civilian? Good, because hopefully you'll understand that what I did next wasn't shameful at all.
I cried. When I was bitten, I froze. I stopped struggling. I felt the warm blood trickling out of me, and I heard lots of ringing. A in C minor, again and again... Things got hazy after that, but I know I was crying. I was... in a pretty pathetic state. Though.. maybe I saw..
I'm lost... help me, please... I wanna go home... Mamma... ... ...
I woke under a strange influence again, staring up at the leafy forest branches. There was darkness all around, and I knew it was night time. I tried to sit up, but a pain in my shoulder was my award for the effort. I grab it, realizing someone had bandaged me. I look about but see no one... and this causes me to fear for my life. In the horror films, you're never safe.
Yes, that was how I felt. Like I was in a horror film. I was in an unknown place with unknown predators who may or may not have unknown abilities. The fact that I had recreated over a thousand fictional spells doesn't stay in my mind. After all, what good would they do? I was doomed. Dead. Done. Good as gone. Waiting to croak. I was so boned. I even had a song about how boned I was.
Then I noticed the campfire next to me. And the bedroll I was laying on. You'd think I would notice those earlier... but I was scared out of my freakin' mind. You try thinking when you're in a right and proper panic. Until then, don't say anything about how stupid I was. I already know.
There was a fish roasting next to the fire, speared on a stick that was stuck in the ground. I didn't reach for it. Who knew if it was okay to eat? I mean, what if the person who saved me had already called dibs on that one?
Then I realize I had been saved. More importantly, I realize I had almost died. It... was far different from with Tenebrae, when I didn't have to confront my potential death. How scary... I shook my head in an attempt to clear it. I needed to think about what I knew. Like how Anima magic worked exactly as I thought it would. I might want to get a Light or Dark magic tome before I try one of the other types, though.
A hand lands on my uninjured shoulder, causing me to startle. My head swings around to see... Lethe. There was no mistaking that face. I had played the game before. I had played the sequel. I know what I'm talking about when I say that I saw Lethe.
Realization dawns on me. I had been saved by Lethe. She must have taken my look for fear, though, because she immediately pulled away and begins to leave. "Wait, don't go!" Yeah, don't- wait, that was me.
She stops, not even turning her head to look at me. Hesistantly, I speak. "You.. saved me, didn't you? Miss Laguz Lady?"
Did it sound like I was a lost and scared child? If so, then I got what I was looking for. I'd like to think acting was something I was pretty good at. I mean, I managed to bullshit my way through entire essays on professional level aptitude tests and my successful lie rate was damn near 100%. I really hoped she didn't see through me with her nose or something. Plus, I was trying really hard to not call her by her name. I really wanted to call her by her name. I mean, Lethe.. that's a pretty +something+ hot name. It's one letter away from lithe, which implies dexterity and flexibility.
Her right ear twitches, but otherwise she doesn't move. I take that as a cue to continue. "Uhm.. I'm... lost. I want to go..." I want to say home, but I know I can't. Home is... "-somewhere, anywhere... but I'm lost. I don't know where I am, and-"
"I get it," she ground out sharply, her ears twitching. "I'll take you somewhere safe. Eat and go to sleep. You need it."
My belly rumbles, telling me to obey her orders. So I do.
Author's Note: I'm awesome.
Really though, I'd like help with keeping to present or past tense. I would greatly appreciate any PMs or reviews telling me where I screw it up.
Yeah, yeah, I know... another one in first-person? Didn't I say that I wasn't too great with that? Yeah, well... practice practice, y'know?
Anyway, I'm going to go finish another chapter of This Merry Ol' Mercenary Band. Later.