And I'm back! BookwormGamer has returned to writing again! In case you're wondering, I've played more than FE7. Played FE4, 6, 7, 8, and 9, but FE7's what I work best with when it comes to fanfics.This was done for Lukannon on Legend of the Emblem, who requested a fic on Legault. I was considering making it gory and depressing, the latter probably coming up a lot with what I've written, but I changed my mind. I'm guessing out of the fics I've written, people probably like Wildflowers the most?

Anyway, on with the fic. Oneshot, of course.

Gates

Legault sat down on the hill, feeling the night breeze blow against his face. Looking at the town below, he went through the rumors about the former Black Fang member that lived there now. Definitely not one of the older members…supposed to be a spy, though. And…can kill his target in a blink of an eye, with breath that choked victims to death, according to the talk. Must be a weak one.

As the thief walked down the hill, he looked at the moon. Full again…that meant it had been about three years since fighting Nergal. A year since the Black Fang had collapsed, and hell broke loose for its remainders. He was safer off than most of them, but not by much, and this safety was lessened by his determination to bring it to others. Today, it was this man named Daln.

I need to be quick, Legault thought. More and more bounty hunters are after me every week. He walked up to the gate, which he began to pick open. When it swung open, Legault found himself remembering another gate, one that led to the realm of dragons. A lot had happened there, especially at the departure. He departed from the opportunities of a peaceful life that day.

Sometimes, I think I shouldn't have done this. But it's too late, now. He could still remember the day he made this damn decision.

Three Years Ago

"Are you sure about this?" Matthew asked him. "In Ostia, we could always use another spy, and with your experience with assassins, you'll definitely find a spot."

"I was under the impression you didn't trust me," Legault reminded him. "Now you're going to let me just get easy access to your lord? Or perhaps…sorry, but I'm not interested in a relationship with you."

"Well, what are you going to do?" Matthew continued, ignoring this last comment. "You're young, you're not going to retire…what are you intending to do?"

"And you won't let me keep this a secret, because…?"

"You eliminated danger to the Black Fang as the cleaner, right? Well, it's my way of doing that, without spilling blood," Matthew said.

"Fair enough. I'm going to help out the remainder of the Black Fang." As he finished this sentence, Legault found a blade at his throat. "Not like that. The Black Fang's weak now, and everyone will be wanting revenge. If I don't do something, we'll become extinct. The least I can do is clean the house a final time and relocate everyone?"

"Where to?" Matthew asked.

"That's a secret."

"Fair enough." Matthew withdrew his blade and walked off to attend to Hector. Legault watched him go with difficulty. There went another opportunity; they were slipping, one by one. Nino had wanted him to live with her and Jaffar, Isadora asked him to settle down nearby, Heath wanted them to travel together, and now Matthew…all the offers were gone.

Why am I such an idiot? Legault thought. He watched as Nino dragged Jaffar off to chase a squirrel. They ran past Isadora, who was leaning against Harken now. Besides them was Heath, talking to Hector as Matthew checked their bags for everything.

I should just go up to them right now. As he started moving, the thief stopped himself. I just turned down what, five offers? And I'm going to say yes to one of them right now? He closed all these opportunities and chose a different road, already. There was no key to go back. The rest of the journey back, he did not speak.

Port Toha

"Are you sure, Uncle Legault? Can you please come?" Nino pleaded. Legault shook his head, smiling. "Why not?"

"First, I told you to stop calling me your uncle. You'd better forget I ever existed, actually. And also, you and Jaffar will probably want privacy in the future. It might get awkward with someone tagging along with you two, sleeping in the same house." Jaffar glared at him, with a small twitch in his face. Nino merely had a face of confusion.

"Hm? Brendan and his family never told you? Well, Jaffar, you better be teaching her. In more than one way, most likely." Before the Angel of Death could kill him, Legault began to run off, until he remembered one more thing.

"Jaffar, when the day trouble comes for you…come to Ilia. I'll find you there." Nino once again looked confused as Jaffar nodded. Legault closed the gate to Toha behind him as he headed onto the road.

Back in the Present

Legault slipped into an alley, picked a lock, and opened a door. Entering, Legault heard two people talking. He bent down to hide, listening on the conversation.

"What are you doing here?" the first voice, a man's, asked.

"Put down that sword, Daln, I'm just here to collect that money you owe me. Nothing much, just a few silvers…" the second voice, another man, said.

"I know what you're doing! You won't lure me out there! I'm too smart for your ambush! I'm not going down without a fight!" Daln shouted. A long silence followed, in which Legault could only assume Daln had killed the other man. Paranoid of being ambushed, like any Black Fang member would be…it might be him. But this lack of subtlety…was he drunk? Legault smirked as he stretched out.

"Daln…Daln, do you…do you hear me?" Legault said.

"What?" There was the sound of a bottle of rum and a blade dropping. "What is this? Who are you?"

"This is…this your guardian angel. I look after you, make sure you do not end up in hell after death…but I have been gone for a long time. I am back now," Legault told Daln. "I…am offering you repentance."

"I don't want it!"

"Then you will go to hell. Your victims will stab you endlessly while you take in the pain, defenseless…there will be no end to that torture. You will live in punishment forever…do you want that? I can save you…it is easy."

"How?"

"I will send you a guide…a guide who will take you to a town that you will live in for the rest of your life, in peace. There will be other Black Fang members there…as long as you live there in peace with them, without killing another human, and never leaving…you will have peace. I will take you to heaven. Will you follow him?"

"I will."

"Good. Now get some sleep for the big trip."

"Yes!" Daln rushed off to another room.

"Come to think of it…I'm tired myself," Legault yawned, closing his eyes. A quick nap won't hurt…

The Next Morning

I guess I overdid it, Legault thought as he woke up. Opening his eyes, he found a man watching him with a sword in hand. Damn…

"Well, guardian angel," the man, probably Daln, said, "tell me what the hell you want with me. You know that I'm Black Fang, and you seem like just the type to be sneaking around killing off people. Who are you, and what do you want?"

"Well, I'm your guide to salvation, and I want to see you go to heaven," Legault answered.

"It was a waste asking you," Daln muttered, raising his blade.

"Ah, wait! I'm Black Fang myself, you know. I'm trying to get you to a sanctuary!" Legault cried. Daln lowered his blade.

"You, Black Fang? I don't remember you."

"Of course not. By the time you joined, I was a legend, and legends don't usually have tea with the recruits, right? You don't recognize who I am or what my purpose is? You don't know about the Hurricane?"

"The Hurricane?" Daln laughed. "I heard the real Hurricane, if he had the element of surprise, could wipe even Brendan out! There's no way you and him are the same person!"

"Well, if I was a bounty hunter, I would've killed you while you were sleeping, recovering from all that drinking last night," Legault argued. "But if you don't believe I'm the Hurricane, the one who cleaned out the house-"

"The Hurricane was the cleaner?" Daln interrupted.

"Hm, it wasn't common knowledge? Well, I guess when things get bigger in an organization like ours, the older members become more mysterious," Legault said. "Yes, I was the one who had to clean out people. But that's not the point. I'm trying to do a final cleaning. I'm relocating all Black Fang members to a hidden village in Ilia."

"Why?"

"We'll become extinct from the bounty hunters." Daln nodded. "Alright, let's go immediately. Before the guards at the gates wake up and ask where we're going."

One Day Later

"What did you do in the Black Fang?" Legault asked.

"I was a stormer. My job was to attack heavily guarded targets with a group of people, and wipe out the target at any cost. It's suicidal, but I was good at escaping," Daln answered. "You still don't look like the Hurricane…"

"What, did you imagine me to be as big as General Wallace of Caelin?" Legault sighed. "The less noticeable, the better, for someone like me."

"What was it like?" Daln said. "Back then…in the old days."

"It was…great." Legault turned to admire the trees as he continued. "We had no regrets, no problems, no issues, with our targets. We only killed those who deserved death, and we'd give our lives for it. No regrets…it was a great way to live. I envied it."

"But weren't you part of it?"

"I was the cleaner. That makes me different."

Three Days Later

"I heard you ditched for the other side," Daln remarked as they ate dinner. "That true or just another rumor?"

"Oh, it's true alright. But I feel like the Black Fang turned on me, really," Legault told him. "It had warped into something completely different, thanks to Nergal. You hate me now or something?"

"Well, why'd you leave?"

"Everything changed," Legault said, "when Nergal appeared. We took on any target, now. Anyone who had a set of morals or was wounded had to be killed, and I was the cleaner. Then…Aesha got hurt. She was one of the oldest members, and I worked with her before. She made a mistake. The information given to her wasn't complete, and it got her nearly killed."

"Even though she escaped, her injuries would end her life as an assassin. I had to kill her…this hand did it. I crept in during the night. She woke up a second before I murdered her, though. I expected hatred, terror…she was expecting it, accepting it. But she was sad, too, and I felt guilty. That's what got me thinking about getting out. I didn't like doing that."

"Think about it. I could have sneaked her out, so she could live in happiness the rest of her life in some village. But I didn't. I valued my own life way far too much. Traitors to the Black Fang…that was cleaning I didn't mind. I was killing off people who would betray everyone they knew for their lives…but after killing Aesha, I became one of them. Cared only about myself."

"That's how this world goes," Daln sighed.

"What?"

"Survival of the fittest, and the fittest care for only themselves. Aesha was weak, so she died. You're strong, because you value your own skin. You're alive. That's how it goes. It's nature," Daln lectured. "So don't be too fussed. You were just- hey!" Legault had shoved Daln down.

"You shut up. For the rest of the trip, or I'll leave you right here," Legault demanded. "I'll take you there, but I don't want to hear another word." Daln glared at Legault as both headed straight to sleep.

Ilia

That week, the snowstorms were strong. As the blizzards raged on, Legault and Daln shivered as they walked against the unforgiving winds. Legault took out his knife, his hand shaking as he dug through the snow to find the symbol. One of the Black Fang's symbols was carved there, pointing left. They headed right to continue onto the path.

Daln finally fell down to the ground after an hour of walking. Bending down, Legault could tell the man's teeth were chattering.

"Sh-shelter point near," Legault said. Continuing, they trudged through the snow, when Legault pointed to a place where a piece of rock jutted out from the mountain, providing shelter. They sat down to rest once they were safe from the snow, if not the cold.

"I'm s-s-s-sorry," Daln said. "It's j-j-just that…"

"Drink," Legault ordered, holding out a flask. Daln nodded, taking a sip. "Warms you up for a bit. First Black Fang member I relocated made this thing for me. Now, what's this you're sorry about?"

"I'm a stormer. I kill the target no matter the cost," Daln reminded him. "That's why I said those things before…I had a mission, once. With me went two of my best friends, Kurst and Mima."

"This person was guarded more heavily than usual…and we were in trouble. But there was a wide opening to the target, who was running. Kurst screamed for my help, though. His weapon was knocked out of his hand, and someone was charging. I could have risked my life there, but I didn't. I ran after the target, and killed the noble. But when I turned around, I found out that Mima had tried to defend Kurst. Both were impaled on the sword the enemy had. Mima died trying to kill the guard and defend Kurst…"

"I ran. The mission was done. And I decided they were weak, and I was strong. That's why I survived," Daln explained. "…sorry."

"Don't worry. Hey, look, while we talked, the snow got a bit lighter. Let's go."

Two Days Later

"Almost there, Daln," Legault announced. "Daln?" Turning around, he saw the swordsman several yards behind. "You're lagging!" The man collapsed into the snow. "Daln!"

"Almost there, huh?" Daln panted. "Just go ahead into the village and find yourself a nice fireplace to heat up…send someone to find me."

"Your hands are numb, changing color a bit, and I can see your breath," Legault said. "I'm taking you there. We're both Black Fang members, kin. We should help each other out. The traitors are the ones who should get cleaned out forever."

"How are you going to get me there?"

"I'll drag you myself."

The Next Day

"Are you sure you won't stay here?" Daln asked. "Come on, you've done this for a while now. You should settle down."

"Not yet. I'll do this until I hear the Black Fang are impossible to find," Legault replied. "See? The snowstorm stopped. It has ever since I started carrying you yesterday. Now, I've got some information about someone hiding somewhere in Sacae. So I'll see you soon enough."

"Are you sure you won't rest for even a little while?"

"No." Legault closed the gate behind him as he left. I still haven't finished my repenting yet.